The Power Within
by Cauryn Terenkey
Summary: Re-Write of 'Under the Skin':Gary Oak wakens from a three month coma to find he has forgotten five years of his life. Can he remember what happened with the help of a mysterious albino girl? What dark past and future do they share? GaryXOC
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note:** This is the re-write of Under the Skin. I decided to have some fun and re-do it, delving more into backgrounds and adding details. If you would like, you can compare each story tot he other, as I have gotten requests from several original readers to leave the original fanficiton up on the site. Already this one is longer than the first, and i hope it's more detailed, and just as, if not more so, enjoyable as the first. Character profiles will be available at a later date on my Deviantart account. At certain points of the story, i will place a link so that you can follow it if you choose to.

Thank you for reading, I hope that you will enjoy it.

* * *

Under the Skin

Chapter one

_Fire…_

_It was everywhere._

_He couldn't breathe, _

_Couldn't see…_

_Hacking as he inhaled more smoke, he stumbled along over obstacles on the ground and his own feet; the heat from the flames surrounding him was unbearable… but he wasn't looking for a way out. _

_He was looking for a way further in. _

_Watering eyes searched his surroundings frantically, searching, searching for something very close, and very dear to him. _

_Pausing to cough again, desperate to get clean air into his lungs, he doubled over against his knees, legs shaking as it was. He looked up, wiping not sweat but the last of the tears his watering eyes could make from his vision, though it didn't help to clear his sight as he tried to see through the haze of smoke and shadowy, charred forms of trees or beams… he couldn't tell which they were. _

_He forced himself on, burning his hands and legs as he moved, starting to panic as he felt time running out for both him and the thing he searched for. His breath came in ragged gasps, coughing more than he could breathe in. He was completely dehydrated, his skin starting to bake, he could feel it. _

_There was a massive crash of splintering wood to his right and he was barely able to dodge the mass of charred wood as it landed right where he had been. It took all he had to stand up again, and froze; a smile spreading across his face as he saw a glimpse of white, tainted only by the soot of the fire, dashing away from the mess. He'd found it. He'd found what he'd been looking for, and it was safe…. Relief flooded him and he felt a new surge of energy as he followed it, _

_As he rounded a bend, that energy seemed to drain from him in an instant as he froze in his tracks. The white object he had been chasing, a shiny Eevee, was frozen in terror several yards in front of him, cowering before several dark figures with guns, who were seemingly unaffected by the fire licking at their bodies. _

_A scream of refusal ripped from his as he lurched forward, but found himself fastened to the spot by more black men who appeared out of nowhere. He screamed and struggled against them; watching in horror as the Eevee, tail tucked between its legs, ears lying flat against its head, was surrounded. _

_There was a sharp prick on the inside of his right elbow as he came close to pulling loose from his captors. To his despair, he crumpled immediately, looking up as flames rose between him and the pokemon, now being carried away from him by the scruff of its neck. He made another futile attempt to get up before he blacked out._

_-x-_

At first a light beep reached his ears, muffled still, but growing louder, soon joined by many voices, some serious, some frantic. The next thing he felt was pressure on his face, arms and legs, and then he could sense the people he could hear around him. Their shuffling feet and faint voices were all he had to go off of, and even that confused him; it seemed like so many…

_What's going on?_

No one answered, they kept buzzing about as they were, sometimes touching his neck or wrist, rattling something above him, a cool hand on his forehead… it was all the response he got.

_Where am I?_

Still, no one answered. They kept bustling around, though the number of sounds diminished, and an echoing click sounded. He wanted to open his eyes, see where he was and what was going on, but he couldn't seem to remember how to even do that. Just as he felt panic grip him again even through the haze, another click and an old, familiar voice came to him; just as something was removed from his face and the pressure was released from his arms and legs as the beeping slowed.

"What's going on?" Asked this new voice; it was old and weary, tired from lack of sleep, perhaps.

"Just another nightmare, Professor." Came another weary voice, though slightly different in tone. "He's calm again, however, and should be fine until morning. No IV's were ripped out, so that's good. It was a good idea to keep someone in here with him at all times. This one was more violent than some of the others, I'm wondering if he's starting to come around…" The voice trailed off, and silence hung in the air, until there was a sigh.

"Can I stay with him for the rest of the night?" asked the first voice. There was a heavy pat, and a muffled ruffling sound.

"Professor… you needn't ask." Replied the second; still muffled but a little clearer. "Stay as long and as often as you need too. I don't think he's been without any of you this entire time. Just hit that buzzer if something, anything, happens." The voice said again. Nothing followed but a few footsteps and a click, leaving the beep and his own breathing to fill the silence.

After a moment, there were more footsteps, and the owner of the first voice sat heavily beside him. A sigh sounded as he felt his hand moving, being held by a gentle, weathered one that felt so familiar, and his tired mind struggled to place it. The rough fingers stroked his skin, sending little electric sparks up his arm, and making the beep speed up a little, before it slowed again, becoming more conscious of that hand, forgetting he even had more of a body than that as he tried to hold onto that little bit of feeling.

"Please be okay, Gary, wake up soon, we all miss you."

Gary… his name was Gary… the information seemed to float up from the depths of a murky pond, and he almost fished it out, holding onto it desperately, whispering his name to himself over and over in his mind as the other kept talking. Next it was as if he put his hands right into the water, fishing around and stirring it up as he tried to place the voice of the person beside him.

Then suddenly, it was there. His hands hit that word, that name, and he hauled it to his bank, clutching it, placing it in the missing spot of the puzzle beside him. He didn't realize he was trying to open his eyes to see the face he knew so well until dim light flooded his unaccustomed irises. After a moments blindness, he was able to focus on that face, and his hand tightened around the one holding his, making the man jump and look at his face, hope shining from every surface. It hurt him to see this man like this… so frantic to hope he could see some reaction from himself as he lay there, afraid it'd come crashing down again, but this time was different.

Gary managed a small smile, trying to tighten his weak hand a little more. "Gramps…" He whispered, voice cracking terribly from misuse. His grandpa stood, holding his hand in both of his own.

"Gary!"

Gary smiled weakly at his grandfather, barely able to open his eyes any further than they were.

"Hey…" He said softly, feeling sleep start to grip him, induced by the drugs he'd been given. Professor Oak leaned over his grandson, patting his head, pressing a button on a little switch hanging beside the bed.

"Stay awake for just a moment longer." He said, voice slightly choked with emotion. Gary nodded, fighting to keep his eyes open. "You've been asleep for a long while… you'll be alright now though." Gary looked at him again, seeing so much relief in the old wrinkled eyes, and a spark of renewed life and hope. "It's good to see you again, Gary." He said Gary smiled

"Good to see you too." He murmured as the door opened, admitting the doctor who had probably been on the other side of the floor, getting ready to leave. He took a look at his patient and grinned, coming over.

"You're looking great, kid, you really are." He said, checking pulse, temperature, and other vital signs, taking notes. He asked a few questions Gary tried to answer but he was fading fast, and his voice trailed off into a barely legible whisper. The doctor nodded and patted both Gary and Oak's shoulders as the young man drifted off again.

"He'll wake up again, don't worry."

Was the last thing he heard before he faded into darkness.

-x-

"Yes… Yes. I know. He's doing better then?"

"He is. Freedom said he just woke up."

"Oh that's a relief!" The speaker fell back into a chair at his desk, running a hand through his hair. "You should have seen him that day, mangled beyond recognition. I didn't think he was alive…"

"Well, he is. And Freedom, that son-of-a-bitch, has got his face back and most of his burn scars are gone. There are a few other ones from past fights that he's going to carry for a while." the person on the other end of the conversation grinned, his face showing up on the first speakers computer screen. "Everything is going smoothly, and I'm loving it."

"I bet. Damn Justice, ever since you came to me you've been on fire about this."

"Well yeah! We've been working at this for years, and the moment we can do something, shit hits the fan and we almost loose them. Speaking of which Integrity, any sign of ah…"

"No, none. She might not remember the-… hang on." Integrity stood slowly. He'd heard something outside the door. Justice leaned one way futilely, hoping to see something. Integrity moved to the front door, and his knees almost buckled in surprise. Speak of the devil and he shall come! He opened the door quickly and not a moment after, had his arms full of a sobbing young woman who looked as if she had been through hell for the past three months. He held her tightly for a moment, if only to hide his excitement. He then led her past the sitting room, so that Justice could see, and got her to lay down. When he returned, he and the other exchanged grins, gave each other a thumbs up, and ended their call. Integrity stood with a feeling of accomplishment, while Justice whooped excitedly where he was.

Finally, the pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall again.


	2. Chapter 2

Under the Skin

Chapter II

Sunlight hit his face, warming his skin, waking him slowly. He didn't remember much from before, only fuzzy images here and there, and perhaps little snippets of different times and familiar faces.

Gary heard someone get up and cross the room, and heard them fiddling with something, and the light all but vanished, making it a little easier to relax his face and slowly open his eyes to see who was there, and not get blinded in the process.

He opened his eyes a little, peering about the left side of the bed. Sitting in the chair was a dark haired young man, arms crossed and slumped, dozing, and an old, worn baseball cap on his head. Gary shut his eyes again, feeling a slight wince of pain in his head.

It was Ash.

He couldn't believe he still had that stupid hat; it had to be at least 15 years old. He opened his eyes again a little in time to see a pretty young woman with long red hair pulled into a braid over her right shoulder lean over Ash and kiss him, making him start a little.

"Misty?" He asked, confused "Damn, how long was I sleeping?" Misty smiled.

"A couple hours; I let you sleep since you've had so little lately with all the challenges." Ash sat up and stretched.

"Damn, chair's hard on your back…" he groaned. "Anything new happen?" He asked. Misty shook her head. He sighed, watching Misty as she sat, rubbing her shoulder.

"Don't worry about him, Ash." The red head said. "He'll wake up again. He's been up a few times since last week."

"I know, it's been so long though, the first time in five years I see him… and he's completely misshapen from the accident, and doesn't wake up for months. It's just… hard to keep from getting excited, and then try not to get depressed." He said, taking his hat off and running a hand through his thick black hair. Misty went to say something, but Gary finally found his voice.

"Ashy-boy," He croaked voice rough and cracking a little moving the fingers on his left hand, feeling the bed sheets under them. Ash and Misty jumped like they had been electrocuted by a Pikachu; their expressions mirrored the fuzzy one of his grandfather before them.

"Gary, you're awake!" Ash exclaimed; grinning so wide Gary started to think his face would break in half. Misty was there beside him, smiling as well, but also holding the button his grandfather had pressed before.

"Hey guys. Long time… apparently." He said. Ash laughed a little.

"You have _no_ idea how long you've been out." He said as the door opened, admitting the doctor. Gary looked towards the door, and frowned a little. He didn't look the same. The doctor he remembered was younger.

"You look confused, Mr. Oak." The older man said as he approached. He nodded a little, trying to sit up, but unable to get himself even up off the bed a little.

"Easy now, don't move," He cautioned, his eyes seemingly warm and friendly. "I'm Doctor Frank Allen Scott. The young man you met before is my intern, Ian." He started checking the machines as Misty vanished, jotting down notes, "He was pretty excited to be here when you woke up. You're doing wonderful; getting steadily stronger since you woke up before so that's good. No more nightmares I'm assuming?" He asked, looking at Gary. He blinked a little, confused, but after a few moments his muddled thoughts organized and he shook his head. "That's good." Dr. Scott leaned over and checking his vital signs and other things, asking questions and jotting down notes.

Gary took in his appearance as he worked; slowly registering the man's unique features. It took a little bit, but he finally made a comparison to Einstein. His snow white hair looked as if he had stuck his finger in an electrical outlet. He was taller than his grandfather, and lanky, his skin pale as if he's been at a desk his entire life. He looked at Gary and smiled, his pale blue eyes burning into Gary's darker ones. As he started to change out Gary's IV, the red head looked back at Ash and Misty.

"I heard you guys… before." He rasped, accepting the water Misty dabbed on his lips. It helped to sooth the thick feeling he had when he spoke. He was still trying to catch up with the information. "What happened?"

"You were in a car accident, Gary, pretty bad." Misty said. "You've been in a coma for three months." He furrowed his brow, trying to make sense of the information.

"Three months?" He asked; feeling a headache coming on

"Exactly, so do not overdo it," Dr. Scott cautioned, as he came back to the bedside. "I want you to lie down and rest. If you want to sit up, ask the person in the room to tilt the bed for you. Doing even simple tasks like that are going to take time to remember how to do, even as simple as they are. Don't worry about the details of what happened, you'll hear about and recall them soon enough." He smiled, and Gary nodded and relaxed.

Doctors were in and out of the room, a pretty young nurse who seemed to know Dr. Scott quite well came by with soft foods so Gary could eat. He wasn't awake for long, and was asleep shortly before Daisy and his grandfather were supposed to make it to their disappointment, but were there the next day for when he woke. Only two people were allowed in to see him at a time, otherwise he'd be over stimulated and become dizzy or pass out.

Brock and May came by when they could leave the new breeding clinic Brock had just opened up in Pewter. He seemed the most curious about what had happened, and the fact that Gary couldn't answer. He was remembering a few things slowly, though he tried not to think too much about the fire, the smallest bit of his accident he could recall, as he passed out shortly after trying to remember anything more about it.

Several weeks later, Dr. Scott deemed him stable enough, and he was moved to a normal, though private room. Gary enjoyed this, there was more quiet, allowing for an easier time to rest for longer.

After a day or so in this room, he looked up as his door opened, admitting the 'golden trio' from their younger days. Ash, Misty, and Brock: the three he was always up against.

"Hey guys, how are you doing," Gary asked, words coming easier to him now than they had before.

"Pretty good," Ash grinned sitting beside the bed. "How about you; Scott mentioned he had a physical therapist stopping by." Gary nodded.

"Already has, yesterday actually." He said, with a slight wince at the memory. "Dropped these off, has me using them to start building strength back into my arms." He indicated the various balls and ropes tied to the bed and sitting on his desk, as well as a few 2 pound dumbbells, which grew agonizingly heavy after only a few lifts. Brock looked them over, lifting the weights.

"That's great; we were wondering when they would be trying to get you back on your feet." He said. Misty nodded in agreement.

"It's been a little while now, guess they're just taking it slow and seeing what you can do." She said. Gary nodded, looking up at them.

"So, how're the pokémon doing, how's Umbreon?" Gary asked. Ash smiled. "He's doing great, missing you obviously, but other than that he's happy and healthy. He'll flip out of his mind when you get home." He laughed, Gary and the others laughing alongside him.

"How about Eevee," He asked, remembering the little white one from his dreams, and he knew he'd had it for a long time, that it was very special to him. However, Ash frowned in confusion.

"Eevee," He asked. "What Eevee, Gary? You don't have one, Umbreon evolved from the one you had." Gary frowned as Brock looked between the two.

"I know that, I can remember that at least, but I had a shiny. You guys said there were no pokémon remains near the sight of the crash and that my party was found nearby in the woods. She couldn't have gone very far from them." Misty shook her head.

"Maybe you traded it?" She asked, earning a determined shake of the head she continued, "Gary, they didn't find any Eevees. Just the four that were in your party; they were all okay, except Umbreon looked a little singed and ruffled since he was out of his pokéball."

Gary frowned, he could feel a headache starting, his head throbbing as he tried to dig for the information. "I don't get it, I know…" He lay back slowly, trying to concentrate on something else, though it was hard. Brock frowned, head tilted.

"What is the last thing you remember?" He asked, leaning forward a bit more. "Maybe you can make a connection there?" Gary nodded, thinking back, and the throbbing eased.

"I was driving down the highway past Mt. Moon… had just left home for something…" His head started to pound again as the images of the cliff faces and sparse greenery sped by. He had been listing to music, hands tapping the steering wheel, just like any other day; top down on the convertible and loving the wind in his hair. There was a sharp pain as he recalled seeing two little darts of color out the corner of his eye, one white, one yellow, and he tore himself away, the memories locking down.

The heart monitor was beeping like crazy, and the room was spinning at a dizzying pace. Ash went sprinting out of the room as Misty and Brock did what they could to help him. By the time Dr. Scott came into the room, his heart had quieted, and the room had almost stopped spinning. He closed his eyes, as seeing the doctor moving as fast as he was made him dizzy all over again.

"… was trying to remember the last thing he could, like you told us to try, look, it's no use." Ash was babbling away.

"Gary, Look at me." Dr. Scott was saying. Gary opened his eyes, the room still spinning slightly. "Are you okay?" He asked, shining a light in his eyes and taking his pulse. Gary nodded.

"I can't, remember much else…" He muttered. "August, 2004." The room finally stopped spinning. Dr. Scott frowned, making sure everything was stable.

"You already know you've been in a coma for three months." Gary nodded, accepting some water as his head stopped pounding. "Then I believe it's safe to say you have amnesia." The doctor said. "We've all been trying to coax your memory but it seems it's just not happening." Gary nodded; then furrowed his brow.

"What's the date?" He asked. They wouldn't have been trying to get him to remember before the accident, if there wasn't something to remember. What Ash said the second time he'd woken up came back, He'd said he hadn't seen Gary in years. Gary knew that wasn't right, as he had just seen him before the last thing he recalled.

The room's occupants glanced at each other, uneasy. Finally, Ash stepped forward after a nod from the doctor. "It's April 2009, Gary. You've been gone for five years. No one's seen you for a long time." The red head looked around at his friends, distress and confusion obvious in his expression.

"What happened to me? What did I DO? Where was I?" Even he knew it wasn't like him to completely cut off from his family, they were all he had.

"No one knows, Gary… we were hoping you could tell us…" Ash said softly. Gary nodded, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I'm going to sleep for a minute…" He muttered, feeling his eyes grow heavy. Dr. Scott nodded, and the small group left the room. Once out, Ash turned to him.

"He won't, you know, go back into a coma will he?" the trainer asked, concerned. The aged man shook his head.

"Not likely. He's just had a load of information dumped on him that he wasn't expecting; He's a little tired. Give him some time to himself and come back tomorrow and he should be up." The three nodded and turned to go, Dr. Scott and his assistant watching them go.

/

"Freedom," the man who was addressed looked up from his desk. It was late, judging from the dark sky outside his window and the hall outside his office.

"What is it Justice?" He asked the young man in the door, his blonde hair barely visible in the lamp light.

"How is he, does he remember anything at all?" He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, and hope was obvious in his tone.

"No, I'm sorry." Freedom sighed, and Justice's shoulders slumped. "The crash induced amnesia… there's no telling if he'll ever remember, if he just needs more time, or the right stimulant. I'm not sure." He sighed, sitting back in his chair, rubbing his weathered face.

"Don't be sorry, there's only so much you or anyone can do. It's up to him now. Now all we need to do is try to keep the fact that he's alive under the radar, if that's even possible." Freedom nodded, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, we have everything under control here; I'll message you the moment that changes." Justice nodded and smiled.

"Alright, I'll send you an update of what's going on elsewhere; you and Independence are a little cut off here."

"Can't wait to hear from you," Freedom said, shaking Justice's hand before the young man left.

Walking the halls quietly, booted feet making no noise on the tiled floor. He paused outside one room, cracking the door open a little to peer inside at the young man in the bed, sleeping soundly from a long day from a mental overload.

"I pray you're back to yourself soon, Gary." He said softly before he vanished.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Really hoped you liked this one. If you haven't read the original, then these people with similar names will keep popping up. :) Mystery figures if you will. Maybe not a lot of extra details, but the early stages were a little difficult to do. Hope you'll keep reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note:** Aww, what the heck, it's a holiday weekend, here's a chapter Friday, Saturday, Sunday AND Monday :)

* * *

Under the Skin

Chapter Three

Gary sat heavily, breathing heavily. Rehab was a bitch, that's all he had to say about it. He was determined to become self-dependent again, and it distracted him from the terrifying question of what had happened to him during the last five years. Try as he might, he could never reach deep enough in that proverbial swamp that personified his mind. He couldn't 'see' deep enough into the water to shift the rock that blocked those memories, and every time he tried harder, he would get pounding headaches and dizzy spells that more often than not caused him to lapse and pass out.

Prof. Oak handed him a glass of water, and the young man's frustration only grew as his shaking hand failed to grasp it. He'd been able to grab a ball and throw it a small distance not five minutes before… Helping his grandson, Oak tilted the glass for him, taking it away when he was done. Gary leaned back in the chair, his breathing slowing. His whole body ached, but it was a welcome pain. A week ago he had barely been able to twitch his toes, let alone feel them. He could see his body, but the feeling had nearly completely gone. His therapist had begun to work his limbs, and slowly tingling sensation had begun to build up in them after a few days.

Another reason he wanted to be able to move and operate on his own was because of the scars. The hospital had done everything to decrease the ones on his face, and they had done a spectacular job. The hair growing back covered the ones on his scalp and the rest were faint, mostly visible on the sides of his face, and a few on his neck. Though below that he was a mess of fight scars and burn marks, though they looked better than they had several months ago apparently. He could at least wear short sleeves without feeling too self-conscious. He just didn't want his grandfather to have to see them anymore when he helped the red head to the bathroom to shower or take care of business.

"Alright, let's go again." He said, starting to stand shakily, almost collapsing. Oak caught him and helped him to his feet, adding only support so Gary's legs could get used to holding his own weight again.

"Gary, are you sure?" He asked. "It's been four hours and you're at your limit." He said, concerned. He wasn't supposed to overwork himself.

"I can go a bit longer." Gary said, gripping the handrails that lined a short walkway. The professor stayed behind him and his Therapist stayed ahead, watching his patient carefully, ready to tell him to quit until the next day. Gary was able to grip the rails though his arms shook with every tiny step. He reached the end and both men had to catch him.

"Alright, enough for today." The therapist said. "You can hardly catch your breath buddy." Gary nodded, letting them sit him in his wheelchair and get him water. He felt so useless, but he was making improvement. He had a few things in his bed to help his arms gather strength back, and today had been the first he could mostly support himself on the rails thanks to those.

On the way back to his room, Gary leaned back in the wheelchair, closing his eyes. He was exhausted, usually was after a therapy session. He'd sleep for a while, probably miss a guest or two and see them again when he woke up the next day.

His grandfather and therapist helped him into his bed, amidst much wincing and bit-back groans from Gary as his body moved in ways it wasn't used to and tender wounds not completely healed just yet had pressure applied to them. Oak stayed with him for a while, before he had to return to his work. Gary did enjoy these short times alone, to an extent. The moment his thoughts caught up to him he was wishing for someone to be there to distract him. He desperately wanted to break down the wall, lift the rock, which blocked those missing memories. It was killing him not knowing what had happened to him.

He couldn't believe 5 years were just gone, with no trace of them but the empty void in his mind that haunted every waking moment, and even in his sleep as he was still tormented by nightmares of white Eevee's that no one remembered him having, but he knew, clearer than anything, that he'd had one. Sometimes there was a girl. He could never really make out what she looked like, but from what he could, she was beautiful. He always tried to reach for her, but fire laced in front of him suddenly, blocking her off, and he'd wake with a start, and end up lying awake for hours.

At the moment, he settled with staring around his room. He'd memorized every detail. How many bricks were in the white walls, how many circles were in the wallpaper that reached halfway up the walls, the number of nice wooden cabinets, the lights, cords, and other machinery he was hooked up to and was also sitting in standby for future use. He knew every detail, and swore he was almost done counting the dots on the ceiling tiles; anything to distract himself from the missing years of his life and the Pokémon that haunted his sleep.

Sighing, he grabbed a dumbbell and started to exercise his arms, counting to keep his mind busy. Another reason he worked so hard at his therapy was to stay motivated, otherwise he felt he'd fall into depression faster than he could drown. He was tired of digging through his mind with no luck at all of finding anything more than he already had, and he had no way of getting out further. The water was too deep to walk through; too dark to swim in without knowing what was out there. And he was too tired to try. He knew it wasn't him, he normally would jump right into something, but now he couldn't. Or just wouldn't, he wasn't able to tell the difference.

Gary lay back and looked out his window, watching the clouds roll past. He finally turned the TV on, searching for something interesting, having little to no luck. He finally closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Moments later an older man with blue hair pulled into a short ponytail paused inside the doorway to his room, shoulders falling a little at seeing the red-head asleep. He gently shifted a pack on his back and then turned away, leaving nothing to indicate he had ever been there.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hope you enjoy this one, it's got very little dialogue, and a lot of Gary thinking.

This one took forever to write, I tried to think of what it would be like for me in that situation: Bored out of my mind for one.

Again, thanks for reading, and i hope you will continue!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

Gary looked out the window of Daisy's car, feeling sick. He'd close his eyes, but that would only make it worse. The moment he had set foot in the car, he had felt nauseous, the reaction probably stemming from his accident. Daisy looked in the rearview mirror at him, frowning, and her eyes brimming in concern for her younger brother.

"Gary, are you going to be okay?" She asked, hitting the brakes slowly for his sake. Her brother nodded, closing his eyes momentarily. "Well, we're almost there, not much further to go!" She said cheerfully. Gary offered a half smile. He knew she would attribute it to his carsickness, but he knew it was something else. Ever since he had been given the news of his amnesia, he had found himself slipping into depression despite his best efforts.

A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of the house he grew up in. He got out of the car shakily, moving away from it as fast as he could without falling. He leaned against the white fence that surrounded the front yard until Daisy had his wheelchair out to make it a little easier for him. When they made it to the door, he was able to walk inside to settle on the couch, Daisy apparently glad to have him home for her to care for as she went off humming to the kitchen and came back out with food. Gary sat quietly, head back, relaxing. It was good to sit somewhere other than a hospital bed. He gazed up at the ceiling, picking out small designs in the texture here and there, thanking Daisy as she placed the food in front of him. He picked at it a little, but he finished the food, and then somehow made it upstairs to his bed, passing out almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

-x-

The next few weeks passed slowly, Gary not able to do much, only working on getting stronger. The therapist stopped by once a week, saying his improvement was extraordinary for his level of injury in the months since his accident; physically anyway. Gary knew his mental state wasn't where it should be. He slowly began to fill the gaps in his memory before the accident; how to do simple tasks or remembering where he placed something.

He continued to have nightmares, and began to keep a journal, jotting these down along with his confused thoughts, and just documenting his everyday experiences. How long he was able to stay awake, how well he was able to concentrate, etc.

After several weeks home, he got his first confirmation that he wasn't insane.

He was outside with Umbreon, the pokémon so very glad to have his trainer back, both sunning in the late afternoon. He smiled down at his Number One and stroked his warm black fur. Umbreon opened his eyes lazily, looking up at him.

"You remember, don't you?" He asked, scratching an ear. "My white Eevee, you remember her, right?" He asked, smiling sadly. He blinked as Umbreon gazed up at him, and he knew he was trying to tell him something, but could only nod his head. There was so much more to it and Gary sat staring at the fox for a long time, desperately wanting to know the story in those dark eyes. Umbreon stood on his lap, front paws on his shoulder and licked his cheek, making Gary smile.

"Alright, I'm okay." He smiled, roughing with the little pokemon. "I just wish I knew more…" Umbreon clambered up over and around his shoulders, snuffling about his hair. He smiled, patting the pokémon's head and looked out over the fences, blinking as he saw someone watching him. It was one of the women from around town, who seemed to visit quite a bit now. Daisy had mentioned that it was more than before. The woman paused, as if she had been caught when she shouldn't have. She waved hesitantly, and he raised a hand in reply. After a while longer of lounging in the sun, the air began to cool and he stood with the help of a cane, leaning heavily on it as he slowly made his way back to the house.

Out in the pokémon pastures, the woman sighed. He didn't seem to suspect she had been watching him. She had been; making sure he was alright. Though admittedly she was volunteering at the lab helping the professor with caring for the pokemon he housed.

"Honesty," She jumped, feeling like she had been caught, and looked to her left.

"Justice, you scared me." She hissed, clutching her chest. He laughed a little.

"Sorry. He almost saw me myself. He seems alright." He leaned against the fence watching Gary walk back to the house. Honesty shook her head.

"I don't know. I'm a mother, Justice, something isn't right. He's hiding something from the others, from himself. He isn't the same person he used to be, he's buried that man." She said as the door shut to the Oak's home. Justice scuffed his foot on the ground, tapping the fence post.

"He'll come around. He's only just started to heal." He said. Honestly sighed.

"I hope your right. Anyways, I have to go; the kids get done with practice in fifteen minutes." She said, smiling.

"I'll be in touch." Justice said. She nodded, they shook hands, and parted ways.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Going to see more of these people :) Hope i'm fabricating this story well.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V

-/-

"Alright… all your files check out, your scores in both the tests and courses are phenomenal. I'm impressed!" A blue haired man in a Pokémon Rangers uniform and his hair pulled back into a low surfers ponytail smiled across his desk at the two newest additions to the team. One, a handsome youth with lanky brown hair, captivating eyes, and a charming smile; He could safely be considered any girls dream come true. The other was a nervous, stammering young woman with pale blonde hair dyed pink, although the color was faded and there was more blonde than the girly color. "Luke, Danielle, welcome to the team. I am Keegan Evo, head of this base. I know we haven't met formally, but I hope we can work together well."

"I'm sure we will. Crank really likes it here already." Luke said, smiling. Danielle nodded her agreement eagerly.

"S-Sea-Salt loves it t-too!" She smiled nervously. Keegan grinned, eyes gleaming.

"Glad to hear it." He said, coming around the desk. "You have to be the best recruits I've seen in a long time. Come on, I'll show you to your rooms, and around where you can put your partners." The head ranger showed them out the doors and down the hall, talking as they went. Luke paid little attention, looking down at the small woman beside him.

"So, you seem pretty small to be a ranger." He said. Danielle looked up at him.

"S-size isn't e-everything, you kn-now." She huffed. He smirked. "Oh, you; I d-didn't mean it l-like that!" Luke laughed.

"Sure you didn't. Sorry, I do tend to be a little vulgar at times." He said. Danielle rolled her eyes. "Think you could put up with it for a night though?" He asked, flashing a brilliant smile. It was her turn to laugh.

"I'm s-sorry." She said. "I'm a-already t-taken." She said, holding up her left hand to show an engagement ring. Luke frowned.

"Well damn. Typical." He smirked, looking at the ring, "he a good guy?"

"O-of course. He's w-wonderful." She smiled. "D-do you have anyone s-special?" She asked. Luke twitched oddly, looking away.

"I did. She… She left." He shrugged. Danielle frowned, watching his expression. There was something there that made her nervous.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry." Luke only shrugged again, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"It happens." He said. "I'm over it now, you know? It's been years." He smiled. Danielle returned the expression, but she wasn't so sure. She turned her gaze to Keegan as he went on about some of the activities the rangers did in their spare time, glancing back at Luke now and then. Something told her he wasn't over it.

"Meet Jack you two." Keegan said, interrupting Danielle's thoughts. She looked up to see a blonde grinning widely.

"Nice to meet you both, Keegan's been pretty excited.

"Nice to meet you too" Luke smiled, shaking Jack's hand, "happy to be here." Jack grinned and then looked down at Danielle.

"Well aren't you a tiny thing! You'll be the pet of this establishment." He smiled, ruffling her hair. The small woman frowned, straightening her hair.

"I d-don't want to be the p-pet…" she muttered. Jack laughed, Keegan smiling in his almost fatherly way, gold eyes glimmering happily.

"Alright, come on and I'll show you where you can place your partners. We don't like to keep them penned up in those balls, doesn't quite seem fair, you know?" He asked. Luke nodded, stroking the container of his Croconaw lovingly. He seemed to be very, very attached to his partner. Jack and Keegan continued to explain the workings of the base as they small group headed outside, introducing Danielle and Luke to others that were there. The other rangers took to the pair straightaway. Luke was charming with the ladies, and just had a vibe that made him comfortable to be around. Danielle, well, as Jack had said, she seemed to be adopted in as the pet of the place.

"And here's the lake." Keegan said; pausing at the beginning of a dock that reached far out into the water, there were even a few boats and a Lapras lazily drifting out in the deeper water.

"It l-looks so clean!" Danielle said, pulling out her pokémon's ball and releasing her, tucking the device back into her bag.

"We try to keep the environment where we live in daily the cleanest and healthiest we can, as well as helping the environment around us." Keegan explained as a cry rang out from a fenced in area to their left. "That there is Donni. He's my Doduo." He said, pointing to the eager creature. Jack waved to another ranger close to the fence, and they let the pokémon out who trotted up to his partner.

"He's rather large." Luke said, patting its side. Donni sidestepped a little, both his heads wrapping around Keegan to peer at the new man.

"He is, he's never evolved, but that's alright with me." He smiled, patting the pokemon's side. Sea-Salt, Danielle's Vaporeon yawned widely, stretching and nuzzling against her partners leg as Luke decided to follow suit and released Crank. The Croconaw seemed dizzy from being confined, wavering a little and shaking its head to clear it, turning to Luke as he patted its snout, petting him gently and crooning softly.

"Well, everything is pretty calm right now; I'm going to head home." Keegan said, hopping onto Donni. Danielle and Luke looked up.

"Don't you live here at the base also?" Luke asked, surprised.

"No, I live nearby however." Keegan replied. "Just a little cabin up on the back trail; I'll see you guys in the morning!" He waved, and Donni trotted off. Jack shook his head.

"He's been rather odd lately." He shrugged. "He never used to spend so much time at home."

"M-maybe he has someone s-special… and is t-talking to her all t-this t-time." Jack blinked, and then laughed.

"Might be right there, small fry."

"P-please d-don't call m-me small f-fry," Danielle protested. Luke grinned.

"You know, you stutter more when your worked up or nervous. It's cute."

"O-oh you; Y-you're h-hatef-full." She groaned, which only made the two men laugh. Danielle turned to watch Keegan urging Donni on faster, seeming quite eager to get home. She turned her attention back to the two men beside her, and after Jack suggested they all get something to eat, she urged Sea-Salt to go and enjoy the water, Luke gently pushing Crank towards the water as well. He seemed almost nervous, worried a little, to leave him alone, but he relaxed as Crank merely drifted about the surface of the water lazily, several smaller pokémon clambering onto his back to doze in the sunlight.

Over the course of the night, Danielle grew used to Luke, her initial unease wearing off. Luke was enjoying himself immensely, teasing her and several others. He periodically went to check on Crank, and messaged someone on his phone almost every hour. He and Jack finally pried out of Danielle a description of her fiancé and their wedding plans, how long they had been together, how long they had been engaged, what their separate plans were, normal conversation. Jack wasn't ever planning on settling down, but if it happened, it happened.

Luke tried to avoid conversation, becoming uneasy when his ex-girlfriend came up, so the rest let the matter drop and kept the pestering to a minimum when it came to him. Bedtime rolled around, and rangers wandered off one by one or in pairs to check on their partners, bed them down for the night, and then head to their own rooms. Luke sat with Crank as the light dwindled; feeding him treats, and then vanished for the night as well.

-x-

Soft footsteps sounded through the trees, startling a Caterpie on the side of a tree, making its head turn to watch the shadowed figure walk among the leaves and branches.

"Integrity, You there?" a soft female's voice asked, sounding almost strained, as if it were difficult to speak normally.

"Yes, I'm here." sounded a man's voice, quite close by. "Glad you could make it Deliverance. No one noticed you?"

"No, they didn't. How is she?"

"She's doing better, the wounds are healed, the physical ones anyway. She still seems to pine for him. I tried to take her to him, but he was sleeping and I couldn't stay for long. Besides, I think seeing _him_ at that moment might have just upset her more. He was still in pretty bad shape, only just woken up I believe."

"Could have... I'm glad she's doing well though."

"So am I." Integrity said. There was the sound of material on bark as he leaned against a tree. "Has there been any news from the others?" He asked.

"He's home now. That's all." Deliverance replied. "He's home; home and operating mostly on his own." There was a sigh of relief.

"That's good. That's very good. Is there anyone watching?"

"Only Honesty; She's been keeping an eye on him. She lives in the area anyway, so it's easy."

"Yes… I'll have to try and visit soon, might be easier for us to work at these tasks alone, but being far from your partner makes it hard on communication." Integrity said with a smile in his voice. "I'm sorry you have to be so far from yours."

"Well, Justice takes it upon himself to make the rounds, he should be stopping by soon here." Deliverance said shyly. Integrity chuckled a little.

"You two are perfect." He said, shifting again. A light flickered on, illuminating their faces in a ghostly light. "I should get back. She might wake and wonder where I am."

"Alright, until next time then?" Deliverance asked.

"Until then; be good now." Integrity smiled. They shook hands and parted ways, each going back to the task at hand they were each preforming to the best of their abilities.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I really liked doin gthis chapter mainly because of Keegan. But i loved having the interaction of the three of them and Jack. and frankly, Luke is just a lot of fun to work with. He has an easy personality to work with, but then again, that's what makes him hard, if that makes any sense.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Daisy shifted a little as she woke slowly, frowning as she heard rustling from down the hall. She sat up, trying to figure out what it was, and finally slid out of bed. Gary must be up to something, Umbreon would have been going crazy if someone had broken in.

Pulling her robe around her tightly, she padded down to the far end of the hall where Gary's room was. Was that a drawer shutting? She paled a little and hurried to the door, gently pushing it open. Umbreon was prancing about the floor, seeming excited, while Gary was rummaging through his closet. Daisy felt the color drain from her face as she saw the worn duffel from his younger days lying open on the bed, stuffed with clothes. She watched only long enough to see Gary move from the closet to his bed again before she hurried to him, shaking his shoulder.

"Gary! What are you doing!" She asked, choking on suppressed sobs. She couldn't lose her brother again. She just couldn't. Gary paused, looking up at her and blinking. His eyes were dull and unfocused, making her realize. "You're sleepwalking…" She murmured, running a hand through his hair. She frowned. How would she get him back into bed? "Gary, I'm going to put your duffel on the floor, you just lay back down and you can finish in the morning, okay?" She said slowly, easing him back down. He only stared at her, blinking slowly now and then. Umbreon pounced on the bed, ears flopping as he lay on the pillow beside Gary's head. "Everything will be better in the morning." She said quietly as she watched her brother relax. She sat beside him until she was sure he was sleeping soundly. Then she began to put away all the clothes he had gotten out, wiping away a tear here and there.

What had happened to make him this way? She heard him wake up sometimes in the middle of the night. She would creep down the hall to see him sitting at the side of his bed in the light from his bedside lamp, head in his hands and shaking. Sometimes he would be scribbling away in his journal. He was going to bed later and later too. She was growing worried. He'd been home for over a year now, and just when they thought he was getting better, he seemed to be slipping into a depression; which was a shame, because it was always right when summer was starting.

Sighing, Daisy paused in the doorway of his room and looked back at her brother. Umbreon was licking his cheek, but he was sleeping soundly. Feeling it was safe to leave him alone, she wandered back to her own bed, falling asleep again only after an hour or so restless worrying.

-x-

"Gary, please, would you eat something?"

"I'm not hungry, Daisy. I'm sorry." Gary muttered, downing a glass of milk before he put the cup into the sink. Daisy put a hand on her hip, frowning.

"Don't start this again Gary. Please." She pleaded. "You can't start skipping meals again; you know what the therapist said."

"Well, he's not coming around anymore; never cared much for him anyway." Gary muttered, leaving the tiny kitchen, moving past their grandfather as he came in. He watched his grandson sadly, turning to Daisy.

"Again?" Professor Oak asked. She nodded.

"Again, every time I slip anti-depressants into his food, he goes off it." She shook her head, and scraped the plate meant for her brother into the trash. "I'm worried Grandpa. He seems to be a little more depressed than he did last year." Samuel came up behind her and gave her a hug, rubbing her back reassuringly.

"He'll be alright. You'll see." He said, smiling. Daisy smiled back weakly, and nodded. She truly hoped so. Both jumped a little as the doorbell rang. Samuel left Daisy at the kitchen counter and headed for the door, opening it to see Heather, one of the Volunteers at the lab and a single mother.

"Ah, Heather, good to see you, what brings you by so early this morning," He asked.

"Well, I would have gone right on to the lab, but I wanted you to see these first. My kids found a litter of rattata; I'm guessing the mother was attacked by a larger pokémon. Do you think you could care for them here?" She asked. Samuel smiled.

"Of course, it's no problem. I think Gary needs something to occupy his mind right now anyway." He said. "He's already out there, so you can head right on back. I'll follow in a little while." Samuel said.

"Thank you so much." Heather smiled, and turned to head off the porch and around the house to the labs. Inside, she found Gary at one of the Computers, noting the dark rings under his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping well again. "Hello, Gary." She said brightly, coming up to him. He looked up, offering a half smile.

"Hello, Heather. What have you got there?" He asked. Heather smiled and gently sat the box down, withdrawing one of the infant pokémon.

"Rattata; my kids found an abandoned litter under our back porch. Your grandfather said you could put them up here."

"We can." Gary said, taking the tiny creature and petting it gently. "Let me get some formula. One of the females might take them, but I don't know." He said, standing up and shifting through some cupboards. Heather watched closely, head tilted slightly, seeing the same warning signs Daisy and Samuel did. She frowned, but smiled quickly as Gary turned back around, and began helping to mix the food for the little Rattata. They sat in mostly silence as they fed the pokémon; Gary seemed wrapped up in his own thoughts, which made him wince and flinch now and then. Heather had been warned that sometimes he thought too much about what he had forgotten, and tended to pass out, so she watched him carefully. However, he seemed to keep himself in check well enough.

Her phone ringing startled her and she smiled sheepishly as she stood to take the call outside. Gary watched, slightly curious, but turned back to the task at hand. He reached into the box for the next, and pulled out a Shiny. He blinked, remembering the flashes of images of his own white eevee. He gently pat its head and gave it the dropper, watching the little thing drink eagerly. Poor thing must have been starving. Heather came back in, seeming torn between happy and worried. She waved off Gary's inquiring question, and the rest of the day passed without incident.

So did the rest of the summer; mostly, however. Gary didn't seem to enjoy the warm weather like he used to. Daisy caught him sleep-packing several more times. And he was sometimes able to snap himself out of it in the morning as he grabbed two pairs of everything as he got ready for the day. Daisy continued to try to slip him pills, but he always somehow managed to avoid them. He began to get more depressed as the days went by, becoming listless, sitting with a blank mind in the shade of a tree for hours on end.

One night, he woke up in a cold sweat, panting heavily, his mind reeling. He hurried to his desk, nearly falling over in the process, and pulled out his journal, flipping to the next blank page and began to write. After a while, he shut the book and stumbled back to bed. He was dizzy even after trying to remember the dream he'd had. It was already fading fast. He closed his eyes and lay back on his covers, an arm resting over his face. He fell asleep that way, thankfully a black and dreamless sleep.

_August 25__th__ –_

_Had another nightmare tonight; different than usual. I suppose it can't even be considered a nightmare. It was different than before. I was at a pok__é__center, with an injured pokémon in my arms. I ran to the ER, but the damn nurse wouldn't help. Told me to sit and wait. It wasn't Nurse Joy, I have no idea who it was. I can't remember what the nametag said. All I know was she had brown eyes and blonde hair, and an annoyingly sweet smile. _

_I can't stand not knowing what happened. I want to know where I was. _

_Who was I?_

_What did I do?_

_Why can I not remember?_

_Was what I did really that bad?_

* * *

**Authors Note: **Going camping this weekend, so here's an early update! Hope you're enjoying the story!_  
_


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors Note: **Okay, i feel like an ass for not doing this in the first chapter...

Story Edited By: Shadowrunner240

* * *

Chapter 7

Ash sighed, tossing a ball up towards the ceiling of his office, and then caught it flawlessly. It was obvious to any observer that he had been doing this for quite a while, thinking about something. And they were right, he'd much rather be out exploring than sitting and waiting for the many challengers to show up; he was glad for the time off he had coming up though. He'd be able to go back home and visit everyone. The pokémon master frowned as thoughts of Pallet town brought thoughts of Gary to mind.

He, like Daisy and Samuel, was worried for Gary. Brock called him at least once a week for an update, and Misty tried to help as she could, but nothing seemed to work; it appeared that their friend and loved one continued to slowly slip away from them.

"Mr. Ketchum, you have a battle." The voice of his receptionist came over the intercom, interrupting his deep thoughts and worries; Ash stopped playing throw-and-catch with his pokéball and sighed deeply. He put his feet down from where they had been resting on his desk, got up out of his chair and walked through a side door in his office to where his pokémon were lounging.

"Alright guys, who wants to have a good fight, hmm?" He asked, kneeling down. Pikachu perked up from where he was laying on a rock, sunning in a warm lamp, and pounced on Ash's head excitedly making the young man laugh as a result. "Alright, alright you're number one." He grinned. His other three top choices, Charizard, Blastoise, and Venasaur plodded forward. Ash patted them all in turn, as well as an Alakazam and Tauros. "Alright, let's go." He smiled. They all entered their own pokéballs, except Pikachu who opted to ride on his shoulder as usual.

Ash fondly stroked his old friend's side as they rode the elevator down to the arena; He didn't know what to expect. Never did. However, the usual contestants were either very poorly trained and or connected to their teams, so it was a wonder how they ever made it to the finals; or very abusive of their Pokémon. This made Ash fight all the harder not to let them win. It helped that his own team of Pokémon, no matter which one of his many captures he was using, felt the same way. Occasionally there was the celebratory Trainer, the one most like himself, which gave him the hope that a decent master could come from them.

Today, he was not expecting who was waiting for him at the bottom of that elevator.

There was no way he could have been prepared.

As the two year running Champ exited the box hands in his pockets, his famous Pikachu on his shoulder, and stepped into the large, standard Battle Arena; He looked across the way to the person who wished to challenge him, he was rather taken aback.

He was older than Ash, which was obvious, and was dressed what looked almost like a uniform; with black knee high leather boots, white pants that hung only a little below the tops of the footwear and sported a blue stripe on the sides of the legs, a black long-sleeved shirt to match the boots, and a vest like jacket that was white in color and also sported blue stripes and blue protrusions where buttons would go to close the clothing article. On one of these blue protrusions was a gold stripe, and on the back was a large golden star, with the letter X in black beneath it.

The Pokémon Master stood watching his challenger for a few moments, letting the image sink in. The man was playing with a Victini, who was dashing around his shoulders, its tiny hands grappling for holds on the jacket; its massive ears wiggling happily as it ran about and occasionally took to the air.

Ash was finally noticed as the man grabbed the Pokémon out of the air facing towards him. The trainer smiled, holding the Victini under his arm as they crossed to shake hands. Ash had recovered from his surprise, and reached out with a returning smile and hand to grasp the others firmly.

"Hello, nice to meet you. Quite the energetic one there, isn't he?" He asked, nodding to the Pokémon. The man laughed.

"Yes. Teggun is quite the happy little fellow. Aren't you, you little ball of fur?" he asked, scuffing the Pokémon's head with a noogie. "_Vivi!_" was the squealed reply.

"My name is Ash Ketchum; it's nice to meet you and your Victini," Ash smiled, reaching up to pat the Pokémon on his shoulder. "And this is my number one, Pikachu."

"Adam; it's nice to meet you both." Adam smiled. His eyes were a pale blue, almost gray, and they smiled with the rest of him. Ash nodded.

"Alright, standard Pokémon battle, how many in your party?" He asked.

"Six, as normal; however, I would like to, well, as they like to say it, 'up the stakes' a little." He said, smiling. Ash frowned.

"How, exactly?" he asked.

"Well, I have a very special Pokémon here." He said, reaching into his pocket to retrieve a poke ball, one of a design Ash had never seen before. It was white all over, with a thick blue stripe on the top half going from the button to the back, and a gold star on either side of the stripe.

"I would like to play you for possession. You win, you keep this Pokémon inside; I win, I keep one of yours." Adam said, talking as if this was the most normal thing to ask of a trainer. Ash didn't know what to say. He was dumbfounded. He could only blink at Adam as he tried to make sense of this deal. The other man simply waited calmly, the pokéball still held up in offer. At this point, Teggun started going crazy, waving his little arms at Pikachu, the two chattering. Pikachu's ears wiggled in interest, his head tilting this way and that. Ash snapped out of his slight daze as Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and darted off, returning a few minutes later, a pokéball in his mouth.

"Pika Pii," He said, voice muffled. Ash frowned, picking the ball up.

"You sure?" he asked. Pikachu nodded, hopping back to his master's shoulder. Ash sighed. "Very well."

"Alright, here's the bet Champion Ash." Adam said. Ash hated to chance it, but Pikachu was already sparking, and he did want to know what Pokémon was inside that strange ball the other man was betting. Adam smiled and let Teggun down, walking to their side of the arena, Adam speaking quietly to the Pokémon.

Ash stood waiting, unsure of the outcome of this battle; although He did like the vibe Adam gave him. He was good with his Pokémon, and seemed to love and care for them. However, he was unsure of how to take this bet. Or as to why Pikachu had agreed to it. He smiled down at his friend as he stretched, psyching itself up and prancing about his feet, cheeks sparking. He looked across the way to see Adam ready with Teggun.

"Alright, let's go." Ash said, reaching for his first pokéball. Adam was watching carefully, waiting to see who he would need to call out first. Ash changed his team every time, so no one could stack against him. And it worked. Trainers only brought their best, and balanced out the team so as to have a fair chance against the Master.

Ash released Tauros, pawing the ground, head bobbing up and down threateningly. Adam seemed to hesitate for a moment, but finally released Archeops. Tauros snorted, recognizing the type difference, but with a little reassurance from Ash, charged headlong into battle, Pikachu cheering him on from Ash's shoulder.

Tauros won with a Head-butt, catching the opponent in its horns as it tried to execute a Fly attack. Adam recalled the Pokémon before it hit the ground, and moving swiftly, a Sawsbuck was in the ring next. Ash took the break to heal the Tauros, and Adam gave Sawsbuck some type of amplifier, and the pair went at it. Ash could tell his own Pokémon was happy by the particular whipping his tails made as he fought. He could also see the Sawsbuck enjoying himself, as he seemed to almost prance around the ring.

Again, Tauros won, and fairly strutted back to Ash for his healing item. "Don't go getting cocky now." Ash warned, but true to his nature, Tauros was hardheaded and the words didn't seem to get through; so Ash wasn't too surprised when the Dragonair Adam sent out next defeated the bull Pokémon. The other trainer took Ash's example and healed the Dragonair before sending her back in to the ring to face off with Alakazam.

The focused psychic type turned out to be very little of a challenge for the dragon and was defeated quickly. Ash glanced at the clock as he recalled the exhausted Pokémon. Already an hour had gone by? He sent out Venasaur, and Adam started the new round with an attack from his end, Dragonair lashing through the air elegantly.

Surprisingly, it was terribly close, but Venasaur collapsed, and Ash recalled him, vowing to give him special treatment for the fight he put up against the Dragon type. He then released Blastoise, who fought and won against the opponent with a rather harsh Hydro Pump.

Adam sent out a Luxray next, calling it by the name of Aspero, the Pokémon tossing his head and pawing the ground, facing off with the massive turtle. The fierce electric reminded Ash instantly of Charizard, but he sensed a deep connection between those two that he hadn't built with Charizard until very late in their partnership. In fact, Ash sensed a different kind of connection right from the start of the battle between Blastoise and the Luxray. Adam moved around the field more, seemed to concentrate more. Aspero never needed to look back. His ears swiveled to keep track of his owner. It was a lot like how he and Pikachu battled. They'd had a rough start, but almost instantly Ash's determination to keep the stubborn Pokémon safe had created that connection and it had stayed; only growing stronger over the years.

This battle took much longer, but in the end, Aspero did indeed win. Ash released Charizard only once the Luxray had been healed, knowing the fire dragon would charge right away; and he was right. Charizard came charging out of his pokéball right for the opponent. Pikachu actually smacked his forehead with a tiny paw, shaking his head exasperatedly; but Ash had to act quickly to instruct the hot-headed Pokémon.

He kept the dragon mostly on the ground, which helped to keep Aspero in front of him. In the end, it managed to stagger back to Adam to be recalled; Charizard flaring his wings proudly, boasting with a rather loud roar of approval. Ash did shake his head here and tried to call him back, but the Pokémon refused the healing. Adam waited, but when Ash shook his head, the trainer looked over his shoulder and nodded.

Ash frowned. And then his eyes widened in surprise as a Victini bounded out from behind Adam. Ash frowned, glancing between Teggun and the Victini on the ground. Charizard actually paused, taking a moment to assess the situation, before he let loose a flamethrower. After a few turns, and damage dealt on both sides, the air around the Victini started to shimmer, and revealed a Zoroark; which also explained all the Dark type moves the Pokémon had been using. Charizard did _not_ like this. He hated being tricked; always had.

Ash groaned as the fight went on. Luckily, Charizard listened to him now, even when he was in a fit of rage. Adam was just as involved with this Pokémon, named Custos, as he had been with Aspero. The Pokémon seemed to fight more smoothly, and sometimes even went against an order if it saw something Adam didn't. Ash had to admire them.

The match between the dark and fire type ended in a tie; both collapsing at almost the same time. Custos managed to moved back to Adam, curling up behind him and letting Adam apply a healing agent to him, an all-natural one from the look of the package. Ash recalled Charizard and then looked at Pikachu.

"Ready buddy," He asked, even though he didn't need too. Ash knew that Pikachu was ready for anything.

"Pika-_chu_!" was the determined reply, a smile on the mouse's face. Ash smiled and patted his head.

"Go get 'em then." He grinned. Pikachu nodded and jumped from his perch, bounding out into the arena, Teggun following suit not long after. Ash let out a deep breath, and glanced again at the poke balls on the side. This was it. He watched Pikachu, concentrating on the battle.

Pikachu and Teggun circled each other until Adam called out for a confusion attack. With Ash's instructions, Pikachu dodged, and aimed an Iron Tail attack, barely nicking the Victini.

Both Pokémon were evenly matched and equally connected with their trainers. Ash had a slight sense of déjà-vu, unconsciously reminded of the battle at Mewtwo's Island. Although this was an even match, it wasn't to the death, and the Pokémon were enjoying it, despite the high level of concentration.

Pikachu sent Teggun flying with a Volt Tackle, and received a Zen Head-butt in return. He used Agility to dodge a Fire Blast, and ran in for another Iron Tail. It took an hour, but Pikachu stood victor in the end, panting excitedly as he bounded back to Ash. He and Adam both healed the Pokémon and met at the center of the field, shaking hands.

"Good fight." Ash smiled. "It's rare to see the level of connection, trust, and friendship you have with your team." He said. Adam smiled.

"It's nothing. We've been together for a long, long time and been through quite a bit together. I've had Teggun, Custos and Aspero since they were infants." Ash nodded. Pikachu hadn't been that old when he'd gotten him. Perhaps a year or so. The trainers walked to the stand they had placed the pokéballs on, and Ash took his back, while Adam held out the strange pokéball with an odd smile on his face.

"Take it, and treat her well. I'm sure you'll know what to do." He said. Ash nodded, watching Adam's face. "Are you sure? You don't have to part with her." He said; using the same gender class, correctly assuming the Pokémon inside was female.

"Oh no, I do." He said. "You were just the one I knew I had to leave her with." He smiled, and without further ceremony, turned and left, Teggun waving from his shoulder, calling out to Pikachu as if saying 'What a great fight! Let's do it again sometime!' Pikachu was waving and calling back, then settled on Ash's shoulder, content and happy.

Frowning, Ash headed back to his office, wondering what the heck the fight had been all about if he'd just needed to leave a certain pokémon with him. Pushing these thoughts from his mind, he went back through the door to his pokemon's 'retreat', released the Pokémon and gave them everything they needed while his two Chansy's attended the battle weakened Pokémon who stretched out happily and rested. Then, with Pikachu, he stood at the end of the racks holding the empty pokéballs; and let the one in his hand expand to full size. He looked it over, marveling at the custom form and engineering. After a nod from his friend, he pressed the button and watched as the blue, not red, beam of light materialized into a Pokémon he wasn't quite expecting.

"_Veee_," It was an Eevee.

* * *

**Authors Note: **Okay, Okay, i know Victini is a legendary and supposed to e only one, and i know the same is true with Zoroark, but i couldn't resist making them a little more common. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and i also hope the battle was believable, evenly paced, and detailed enough.

I hope you stick around for the rest! Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Fingers flew over the keys of a white laptop, a man's face illuminated by the light of the screen. He reached for a coffee cup without looking, his other hand still typing away. On his lap, a shiny Snubble snoozed peacefully. Blond curls flopped over his face, loose, but still could be recognized as curls. A door opened across the room, admitting another man.

"X? That you?" Asked the first man.

"Yes, it's me Justice." X replied. He crossed the room and sat in another chair backwards, his arms crossed on the back.

"Is it done?" Justice asked, still not looking up from the screen.

"It's done. She's planted, and should be heading to the target in a few days, a week or two at most." He replied.

"Good. He's recovering, but not fast enough. Honesty says he keeps lapsing into depression, and every time it only gets worse." Justice mumbled. From the light of the computer, he was wearing only a black long-sleeved shirt. X sighed and got up, crossing the room and flicking the light switch on.

"You are going to kill your eyes. Deliverance is going to tan your hide if you're vision gets any worse you know." He said.

"I know, I know. But I'm trying to do all this on my own here. Deliverance is off on her mission, Freedom and Independence are in their lab, and the twins are off checking on the rest in my place. I also have to keep an eye on Yanna since he's out delivering orders." Justice finally stopped typing, clicked a few buttons, and leaned back, rubbing his eyes. X shook his head.

"Taking too much on, yourself here man." He said. "Call the twins back. Seriously. As of now I have nothing to do, I can go check on everyone."

"But what if _She_ sees you when you visit Integrity? You know he's got her. You told me yourself you don't want her knowing about you. Not yet. She shouldn't know about any of us yet until we've helped Him back to his feet. He's proving to be rather stubborn…" The blond muttered. X shook his head, sitting back down and shedding his vest like jacket, which matched Justice's on the back of the man's chair. They wore matching uniforms of blue and white, and similar black shirts.

"That's true. I did say that." X muttered. "This is harder than I thought. Been too long since I saw her last. Eighteen years…" He muttered thoughtfully, shaking his head. Justice looked over at X, frowning slightly.

"You'll see her again soon. She's okay, she's hidden. They have no idea where she is." He said, patting the others shoulder. X smiled a little.

"That, my friend, is my only comfort." He said. "They think I'm dead. Thanks to Freedom, I was able to escape and he was able to make it look as if I had perished. I owe that man my life."

"Hell, we all do!" Justice laughed. "Without him and Independence, I think we'd all be screwed."

"Yes, we would be." X grinned. "So, when do you go back undercover?" He asked.

"Ah… once the twins get back. To take a break and make the rounds, and then I'll be back. If everything goes to plan, I'll be helping those two stay under the radar. Been doing pretty good so far from what Freedom says. Those assholes don't even know he survived the crash."

X snorted. "Good. We need him alive and well. We can't do what we're planning without him. They need each other to operate, Integrity said as much when we were speaking to him after he was recruited."

"I know, we have to get them together soon. But she doesn't even know he's okay. She's still in a depression herself." Justice sighed. "Integrity is doing everything he can to get her out of it."

X ran a hand through his pale hair, sighing. "Damnit…" He muttered. "If I weren't so stubborn I could go down there and snap her out of it. But She needs to rely on herself here. We both did after we got out, and I think she's forgotten how. They both need her to remember if they're going to have any sort of a chance."

Justice leaned back in his chair.

"I might have a way for you to keep an eye on them without them knowing." He said, grinning suddenly. X blinked.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. GO down there. Meet with Honesty. And stay undercover. You know what I mean."

"But what about-?"

"He won't be a problem if you're bright enough to catch on to what I was saying." Justice grinned. "Go on, I'm going to get back to work. The plan is in motion, nothing can stop it now. Where it goes, nobody knows, but we sure as hell know it's going somewhere."

X Shook his head at the odd look on his co-workers face. It was slightly maniacal.

"Seriously Justice; Get some sleep. You're getting crazy slap-happy." He smiled. "See you later. You'll know where to fine me." Justice only nodded, once again enveloped in his typing. X grabbed his jacket, swung it up over his arms, and then headed out. Well, time to get moving. He was glad Justice had thought of this and let him go. He'd hate to be cooped up indoors until the plan took full effect.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

It was a clear, warm night, with the moon shining full on a small home. A woman sat on a back porch swing reading a book by the light of the lamp hanging by the door. There was a rustling, which made her jump, and peer out into the darkness beyond the light of her porch. She let her hand rest on the pokemon beside her, a Persian which also had her head up, the fur on her back standing on end.

"Honesty, call her off." Came a man's voice, sounding strained. "I can't hold mine off much longer." The woman blinked, holding the large cats collar.

"Depends on who it is." She said, frowning.

"X, it's X!" he exclaimed.

"Oh!" Honesty tightened her hold on her Pokémon's collar and turned to her, patting down her fur until she relaxed. "Okay, its safe now." She said, turning back to where X's voice had come from. Soon, he came out, still in his uniform.

"Thanks, mine was about to jump her." He muttered, patting the air it seemed.

"I'm sorry, she's so very protective of me and the kids after my husband died." Honesty said as X joined her on the porch.

"That a sign of a very good Pokémon." He smiled, patting the Persians head. She purred happily, tail flicking about as she closed her eyes to doze again.

"So what brings you by?" Honesty asked.

"Justice sent me down for observation." X said. "Glad of it, I'd hate being cooped up for however long it takes." He said, stretching. Honesty frowned.

"But didn't you just plant the, uh.."

"Yeah, I did. But you know I have my way of hiding." He smiled. "I can stay undercover here for as long as it takes."

"I do know how you hide." She smiled. "So we'll be working together, sounds like fun. How is Integrity?"

"You're 'official' partner has his hands full caring for _Her_. She's about as stubborn as _He_ is." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Honesty nodded.

"They better get over it quickly; I'm not sure how much longer everything can remain secret."

"I'm not sure either, Honesty." X muttered. "But, I suppose that's where I can help. Has the bait been delivered yet?" He asked. Honesty shook her head.

"No not yet. He's supposed to be home in the next few days."

"Oh good, can't wait to see the reaction." He grinned "Alright. I'm supposed to hide out here with you."

"X, I have two kids! It'll never work!" She cried softly.

"Oh, ye of little faith, watch." He grinned, and hopped off the porch.

-x-

Gary woke slowly from sleep, feeling a tugging on his leg. It took a few moments, but he finally looked down, blinking as he saw the floor instead of the bed, and Umbreon tugging on his pajama bottoms. He frowned, looking at his dresser. He had a couple pairs of boxers and socks each in hand, the drawer half closed. He'd been sleep packing again.

Sighing, he put the extras away, finished getting dressed and fell back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. He reached into the night table drawer for his journal, and stared at the blank pages of the black book before he sighed and let it drop onto his face. He felt his stomach cringe. He hadn't eaten in three days. Nothing that was sustainable anyway, just enough to keep him going; and it was usually when Daisy was out of the house.

"Umbreon, please… Not today." He muttered as the Pokémon nudged his shoulder. He wasn't in the mood to do anything. Warm weather always seemed to kill his energy for some reason. Not to mention he always started sleep-packing more when summer hit. Had been like that for two years now. He hadn't been sleeping well lately either. Staying up until two, waking up at six… his body couldn't handle that and when he finally broke down, the nightmares would start.

Finally, he let himself be nudged out of bed and downstairs. Daisy was already off to work, and Samuel was out in the labs. He got a glass of orange juice from the fridge and downed that, his stomach gratefully clinging to the nutrition.

He grabbed his lab coat from the hook by the back door and headed out to the lab. Upon walking inside, he was greeted by the sight of Heather and his Grandfather hovering over what appeared to be a rather pale Ninetails.

"I don't know what happened to him; he stumbled into the yard last night while I was reading. Persian alerted me to him and by the time I got outside, he was hiding under the porch." Heather was shaking her head.

"It looks as if he was in a fight though I can't be sure if he's wild or not." Samuel said. Gary came up, looking rather haggard, but the other two were used to it by now. He gently pet the Pokémon's head, keeping clear of the places Heather had bandaged and the rumpled fur that hinted at bruises or hidden wounds.

"I don't think he's owned, might be wild, or could have been released. Would explain why he was here by a town rather in the wild where you would normally find them." He said. "He seems okay though, just tired." Heather nodded.

"I thought so too, I just wanted to be sure. There's no official Pokémon Center in town, so I thought I would just bring him here in the morning."

Samuel smiled "Well, let's get him a super potion and heal these wounds up." He said. "Might take a week or so, and he'll have a slight limp for a little while from the looks of it, but other than that he should be right up in no time."

"That's good to know." Heather smiled. "Perhaps he'll stick around; Persian does seem to like him." Gary took a bottle from his grandfather and helped apply the healing supplement to the wounds. The Ninetails licked his hand, his tails waving.

"He is an odd one." Samuel said. "I've never seen a Ninetails with such a pale coloration. The orange on his tails is almost a pastel color."

"I thought that was odd too. But I suppose it's just a genetic trait." Heather said, petting the Pokémon's head. He licked her hand, the tails wiggling happily.

"Well, he sure seems to like you!" Samuel smiled. "Alright, let's go ahead and lift him down to see how he does on his feet." Heather backed up as Gary and Sam both lifted the Pokémon gently and placed him on the floor. They supported him as he hesitantly placed his paws down, but once he found his feet, he limped over to Heather easily enough.

Gary smiled a little. At least the Pokémon had gotten better after his accident, whatever it had been. A fall, a fight, it was hard to tell.

"Well look' it that." Ash's voice came from the doorway. Gary and Samuel looked up and both smiled, Gary just a little, it was the most he could manage. Ash strode forward, trying to ignore the look on his friends face, but it was hard. "Hey guys, how have you been doing?" He asked.

"Pretty good, Heather just brought this Ninetails in; he was in some sort of fight." Samuel said.

"He's a trooper, already up and moving." Ash said, kneeling down to pet the large fox type. It licked his hands and wiggled its tails again. Pikachu popped up, peering at the other Pokémon curiously, ears wiggling. "He's pale, isn't he?" he asked, looking at the rest.

"We were just discussing that." Heather said. "It's probably just something genetic."

"Probably, I have seen Pokémon like that." He said. "Speaking of which, Gary, I have something for you." Heather, Samuel, and even the Ninetails looked up at him. Gary frowned.

"What is it?" He asked, hoping it wasn't pills. Ash dug into his belt and pulled out a small, white, blue and gold pokeball, the same one he'd gotten from Adam.

"A challenger came by, and bet this Pokémon on the match." He said. "I remember you were asking about an Eevee after you came too, so, well. Here's an Eevee. She's not white, but she is a rather pale shiny." He said, letting the Pokémon out of her ball. Gary's eyes widened slightly as he saw her materialize. She sat perfectly straight, her tail flipping a little nervously. Umbreon perked up at Gary's feet, his tail starting to wag back and forth eagerly.

"Eevee?" sounded the tiny, unsure voice of the small Pokémon. Gary stood frozen, Ash frowning, thinking now that this hadn't been such a great idea.

In his mind, Gary was seeing a similar Pokémon, though its fur had been snow white, not a trace of gray; wounded and shaking from exhaustion in the backseat of his convertible.

He stumbled backwards into the lab table, clutching it for support as a hand flew to his head, and blacked out, collapsing and hitting the floor before Ash or the Professor was able to reach him.

Heather stood, a hand over her mouth, the Ninetails tilting his head as he observed, head reaching forward to sniff curiously. The woman looked down at the Ninetails and then back at Gary, his Umbreon sitting beside the Eevee who had jumped back and curled up on herself in shock at the incident.

Meanwhile, Justice was at his computer, and blinked as a 'bing' alerted him to a message. He clicked on the tab, and grinned.

"Bait has been delivered. Brilliant."

* * *

**Authors Note:** Can't believe how time it flying, not quite fair. Still can;t believe the camping trip was only three weeks ago, had quite the adventure.

Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. Feel rather sorry for making Gary hit his head like that. Important flash though!

Hope you'll look forward to next weeks addition!

Thanks again to Shadowrunner240 for editing this story.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"I'm really sorry guys. I had no idea he'd pass out like that." Ash said as Daisy came by with a plate of food.

"Don't worry about it, Ash. None of us could have known." She said kindly, "thanks for staying for dinner. He's not eating again." Ash shook his head at that.

"Think he'll recover this winter?" He asked. Daisy only shrugged. She had no idea. He looked into the corner where Eevee and Umbreon were eating. The dark evolution of the Eevee had seemed to cheer the first form up, and they were getting along rather well. "What did the doctor say?"

"He told us to keep an eye on him, and if his status didn't improve, to call him again." Daisy said. Ash nodded.

"Well, I hope he's fine. He hadn't passed out in a long time. I hope the hit he took to his head didn't give him a concussion." The Pokémon Master fretted, earning a pat on the shoulder from the professor next to him.

"He didn't hit it too hard, I'm sure he's fine." Samuel said, "Frank didn't say anything."

"He's an odd doctor," Ash muttered, "he doesn't give me a bad vibe; but sometimes it seems as if he's hiding something."

Samuel frowned, "I have to agree. But he's done so much for Gary; no one else could have fixed his face. And the rest of the scarring was downed considerably as well." He tried to keep talking, but he choked on his words and simply shook his head, looking down at his plate. Ash had looked down also, picking at his food. He had gotten the call right before the match between him and the previous master. He'd called off the match and had rushed to the hospital. He had been the first one there other than the rangers. Jack had been there, and Keegan, the head of Jack's base. Both had been pale and in a slight state of shock as they had been the first to respond to the accident.

The young man rubbed his face, trying to erase the image from his mind. He'd seen Gary as the doctors had taken him from the ER, only a few hours before the professor and Daisy had gotten there. Just imagining him like that, even stitched and cleaned up, it had been a horrid sight.

But Samuel Oak was right. From the start, Frank Allen Scott had been bound and determined that Gary made it back onto his feet. He seemed almost, obsessive or desperate. But he had also done a lot of good. "I'll go check up on him." He said suddenly. Ash needed to do something, and checking on his friend was a great idea. So he got up and headed for the stairs, and eventually stood in the doorway to his friend's room, watching him sleep soundly. He could tell it was a normal restful slumber that he would wake from, probably in the morning. He looked exhausted, and most likely was.

"Don't let yourself die, Gary," Ash said quietly, "don't you do dare do it." He shook his head and turned away in time to miss the sudden twitches and shudders that shook his body as he slept.

-x-

Gary woke with a start, gasping for air and sitting straight up in bed. He was covered in a cold sweat and trembling

It was going on year three now… He had begun to learn to despise warm weather.

The red head looked to his right to see that Eevee and Umbreon were in their window basket. His head throbbed painfully, making him wince, but he didn't pass out thankfully. It had taken a long time for the poor Pokémon to get used to him, since he tended to pass out around her. Instead of getting up for the day, he dug into his side table drawer quietly, and brought out his pen and journal, and began to write about what he remembered of the day before; it wasn't much as he had passed out shortly after breakfast. Those random fainting spells were what drove him crazy the most. Sometimes even a smell could set them off.

After writing, he watched the sun rise, his head resting on the headboard of his bed. It was a few hours later that the Pokémon stirred in their basket, Umbreon first, his fur warmed by the sun's rays. He stretched, his butt going up into the air, tail standing straight up even as he stretched out forward, yawning widely. He stepped out of the basket as Eevee stirred, stretching each of his back legs in turn. Eevee was a little more graceful. She stretched much the same way, but shook herself to fluff out her fur; and then they both bounded to Gary. He paid special attention to Eevee, Umbreon wriggling in under his chin. He did enjoy having these two, they made him smile. That was a motion he was having trouble with lately.

Bird Pokémon sang outside the window, he heard Daisy laughing as she left for work, the slam of the car door cutting off her voice. He hadn't laughed in a long while either, he realized. He hauled himself out of bed and down stairs, feeling sick at the sight of the plate Daisy had left for him, and settled for orange juice again; seemed to be his primary diet when he got this way. Eevee and Umbreon trotted after him, eating their own food and then followed their trainer out to the Pokémon labs, playing as they went, dashing around in the taller grass and chasing leaves blowing in the wind, fully enjoying the warm days that were upon them.

"Gary!" Heather exclaimed in surprise as the young researched walked through the doors of the lab. The Ninetails she had brought in so long ago had indeed stuck around, and he was currently lounging on the cool tiled floor of the lab. When Gary and his Pokémon walked in, he lifted his head and his tails started smacking the floor happily. The smaller foxes were just as happy to see him and pounced into his tails, clambering over his body.

"Hey, Heather," Gary said, grabbing his clipboard "How are you doing today?"

"Oh, pretty good." She replied, trying to mask her concern for the young man. He looked worse than he probably realized. Nobody had been able to move on from his accident since he hadn't. He was alive, but he simply existed, there was no life in anything he did. No one could do much; even his doctor couldn't get him to do anything. Gary Oak was wasting away in front of their eyes; no one gave him more than a year.

"I'm just going to make the rounds." He said finally, to which the woman nodded, watching him go. Eevee and Umbreon perked up, and then bounded after. They played around their trainer's feet as he flipped through the papers and took notes as he observed each of the Pokémon pens. He worked through lunch, and after he was finally chased out of the lab, he skipped dinner as well; sitting under the same tree he had made his spot as the Pokémon vanished, and then reappeared beside him, romping through the grass or napping on his lap well past the time the sun went down.

-x-x-

"Adam…" a woman's voice spoke quietly, although it seemed quite loud in the dark room.

"Hm?" was the sleepy reply from beside her, Adam shifting a little to look at her, an arm draping over her side, pulling her closer to his warmth.

"Are you sure I can't tell the kids? I hate keeping a secret from those two…" She whispered, curling up close.

"I'm sorry, Heather, I really am. But no one can know I'm here." Adam sighed, kissing her head. He rubbed her back gently, tucking an arm under his head. Heather sighed as he said that, hugging the pillow under her head. Adam let his eyes focus on the woman beside him, smiling slightly. Damn he was one lucky man. "Soon enough I won't have to hide any longer."

"I know. I can't wait for that." Heather sighed, stretching. "It's going to be a wonderful day."

"Agreed" He smiled, kissing her neck gently, "Now get some rest, you have to be up early." He said. Heather smiled and snuggled closer to her secret lover and nodded even as she frowned.

"It's so depressing going to the labs now." She murmured. "Gary's hardly moving. It's sad to just sit back and watch him waste away when you know he can get better."

"I know, he'll turn around, you'll see." Adam reassured her, rubbing her shoulder and kissing her cheek. She turned to him, her eyes glimmering slightly in the dim lighting.

"I'm glad to have you here, finally." She murmured. "Been too long since I saw you last…" He smiled, running a hand through her hair as she snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes.

"Yeah," He agreed. "I know." He watched her dozing for a moment before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep himself.

* * *

**Authors Note:** Sorry for being a day late! We had our 4th of July party this weekend instead of during the week or next weekend due to several family members including my mom who have to work on the 4th, and would thus miss the party.

Hope you liked this chapter, kinda a mash of different points of view, looking more at Gary's melancholy.

Next update next week!

For those it applies to, have a wonderful 4th of July, and have a great party!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Keegan, wait up!" The blue haired ranger turned his head towards the call to see Luke sprinting for him.

"What is it?" He asked, trying not to show his impatience.

"Hey man, there's a party in the main lobby tonight," Luke said, "you should come. We haven't seen anything of you for years."

"Ah, you don't want an old man like me hanging around a party you younger ones are having."

"Keeg, Jack's coming; it's not one of our wild weekend parties." Luke said, frowning.

"Luke, really, I can't. I'm sorry." Keegan said, smiling apologetically. A door slid open nearby, admitting Danielle into the hallway. She glanced between them and shook her head.

"N-not coming to the p-party, Keegan," she asked, slightly bashful.

"Like I was just telling Luke, I can't." Keegan explained again, trying not to let his impatience get to him. Luke blew a strand of hair out of his face.

"Party pooper," Luke muttered. Keegan laughed.

"Maybe next time, promise." He said. Luke snorted.

"We'll see." He said. Danielle frowned. Was he really that upset?

"Well, I s-suppose we'll see you t-tomorrow then?" She asked. "It's g-getting pretty l-late." Keegan nodded.

"Yes, I'll catch you two later." He smiled. "Goodbye." He ruffled Danielle's hair and walked off. Luke scoffed.

"Like hell he'll join next time." He muttered, but shrugged and wandered off. Danielle paid no attention, however, and walked to the window in the hallway. Sure enough, a few moments later, Keegan came into view, walking home. She frowned, watching him as she straightened out her hair. Odd… he never messed with her hair; and then that odd farewell… Something didn't sit easy with her. However, she turned and went down to the mess hall to help get ready for the party.

Meanwhile, Keegan walked back to his cabin slowly, thinking deeply. He brought his Styler out and sighed. It was fully charged, so it would be alright. He paused and looked back. "Sorry Donni, You can't come home with me tonight." He said sadly. He was uneasy, but the closer he got to home, the calmer he felt.

He was doing this to save someone important to him. She was like a daughter to him, and he had been keeping her secret for years… until now.

Somehow, _they_ had found out she was still alive.

Somehow, _they_ had found out where she was hiding.

They pissed him off to no end. He scowled as he walked, not a pretty feature on his normally kind face. As he walked, and as the twilight dimmed, he began tearing off his Ranger uniform, revealing another uniform underneath. White pants with blue stripes, black combat boots, black longsleeved shirt, and a white vest sporting blue stripes, the letters O.A. on the front, and a large gold star on the back, the name _'Integrity'_ in bold black underneath. He paused just long enough to hide his Styler, and then trade it for the gun that was lying in the same tree hollow. He used the last light of the day to inspect it and get the ammunition he had also hidden.

If this was the fight for life, he was going to go in prepared, and take as many down with him as he could. He put the gun in the holster on his pants, taking determined steps towards the cabin. For years, it had been a relaxing place, had meant safety. He had even offered it to that determined young redhead that had gotten lost out here with his Eevee, and again when that same Eevee had come, alone and frightened. And here she had stayed. Until tonight; he'd sent her away.

The Ranger took the steps up onto the cabin porch, and with one hand on his gun, he put the other on the door handle. Counting to three, he flung the door wide open, his gun rising to meet another.

"Well. I see that you DO know what a gun is." sounded a sneering, familiar voice.

"I'm shocked you know what one looks like." Was Keegan's reply "Nice to meet you, Mayhem."

"_Agent_ Mayhem, you sack of rotten trash (I couldn't think of a better line ) (As long this story is rated Teen, then there can be a curse word in the story now and then. However, don't make it a habit to include it all the time)," snarled Mayhem, infuriated with the fact that this Operation Freedom scum had dissed his title. No one did that and got away with it..

"You're Team Rocket; like you deserve any sort of addition to the name you were given." Keegan scoffed. Both cocked their guns at the same time. (Also, I'd like to ask a question here: What types of guns are they using? I have a Gun wiki in case you need to look up types. It's always best to appear to be informed about such things, just so it doesn't turn the readers off from reading.)

"So, what name do _you_ go by, hmm? Keegan Evo? What name did your little band of cute rebels give you?"

"Integrity and I bear the name with pride."

"Mayhem snorted, and then began to laugh while Keegan was backing them into the cabin even further. He could sort of make out the Rockets features. They weren't kind, not anymore. They were psychotic, beyond psychotic even.

"Ooh, _Integrityyy_. You and your friends' stupid fantasy of opposing us; Go back to the fucking playground where little girls belong." He snarled. Keegan pressed his gun to Mayhems head.

"I will pull this trigger," Keegan warned, earning another peal of insane laughter.

"Yeah, but then by reflex, mine would pull also. So that way we both die, and we still get her!"

"You won't _ever_ get your hands on her. She's gone from here by now. Heaven only knows which way she went."

"Blah, blah, _b__lah_," Mayhem rolled his eyes. "You forget, we're Team _Rocket__,_ we can find anything we want. And for your information, she never left the damn woods. She's still here." Keegan paled ever so slightly, but kept his composure. His eyes narrowed, and he stepped back a little, and fired. Mayhem dodged at just the right moment, so that the bullet grazed his ear, the sound of the gunshot echoing through the woods like a whip cracking, sending bird Pokémon into flight. Mayhem blinked, and then snickered.

"I think you made my ears ring a little." He laughed. "Ever even used a gun before? You're supposed to _aim_, dumbass."

"I did aim." Keegan said, it had been a warning shot – he needed to buy more time – he couldn't let them get _her_. "But that wasn't for you. This one, however, _is_!" he said, and spun the gun back on the Rocket, pulling the trigger while dodging a bullet as Mayhem snarled, his eyes flashing angrily as he started to return fire.

Keegan was soon very glad of his open floor plan; it was easy to move from one room to the next. Shots were exchanged on each side, both getting hit, but managing to avoid fatal wounds. Keegan was glad of his recent training, without it he never would have survived this long.

The ranger dodged into the kitchen, and slammed his back against the wall, reloading as quickly as he was able. He could hear the deranged Rocket behind him, and managed to dodged under the table and flip it in time to dodge most of the bullets that came flying his way. He was shocked no one had come running yet. The Pokémon in the stables must be going crazy. He grimaced, the throb in his shoulder starting from a shot he had received.

He frowned, realizing it was suddenly and eerily silent, and his brow furrowed. He turned to peer over the table and swore loudly, leaping back, a knife nearly catching him through the chest as Mayhem lunged at him. He shouldn't have gotten into the kitchen, but he hadn't thought of the additional weapons. There was something different in the Rockets eyes, something that scared him. He knew the man was insane, Freedom and Independence had said as much; but this was beyond insane – this was just unfettered, raw _psychotic_. Keegan only managed to get far enough away from the deranged man for a shot in the hallway, but he missed his window, and the bullet missed the target, landing him on his back and he felt what he'd never wanted to feel, the knife in Mayhem's hand plunging into him again and again.

The pain was excruciating, and he could hear Mayhems frantic, psychotic laughter over his own screams. It wasn't long before he was choking on his own blood, his lungs filling with it as finally the pain ended, and through his fading vision, he watched as Mayhem walked out of the Cabin, a thin stream of his blood following the Rocket assassin out the door where he stabbed the knife into the wood, left the door swinging wide open, and was gone as Keegan's vision failed, and his last breath escaped his body.

-x-

Luke walked back into the party room from a quick run to the bathroom, still drying his hands on his uniform; when a thrill of unease went through him. He glanced around the room, spotting Jack, Danielle, and Melody. "Okay, you know what? Keegan is the only one in this entire damn base not having a good time. I'm going to go drag his lazy butt down here." He said, earning a laugh from Jack.

"You have fun with that. He doesn't look it, but he can be stubborn if he wants to be." Luke grinned.

"Oh, I'll get him down here," Luke said, determined. "See you guys soon!" He waved and moved across the party floor and out the door. He moved along the dirt path at a steady pace despite the darkness, having traveled up it many times in the past few years. He whistled a happy little tune, hands stuffed deep into his pockets.

He hardly realized when he reached the cabin, almost falling head first over the fence that surrounded it, frowning, and looking around.

It was way too quiet, and the lights were all off.

The door to the cozy home was swinging wide open, he could hear the creaking, and there was something glinting in the little beams of moonlight that reached through the massive trees. Cautious, Luke swung his legs up over the fence and crept towards the house, his eyes straining to see. He didn't know what he would find, and he knew he probably shouldn't be trying to see without the rest there with him, but he had to know.

Creeping up the steps, he finally saw what was in the door, a bloodied knife. All color drained from his face, and he dared to slide to the wall, and peer around the door frame. All he could make out was a huddled form, and a trail of blood leaking onto the front porch, which he had now tracked around a little.

He swallowed, and once he felt he could move without being sick, he dashed back to the party.

* * *

**Authors Note: **This was a sad chapter to write.

I really liked Keegan's character when i wrote him the first time, so i wanted to give him a bit more in this version. Didn't get much, but he got a few chapters.

This was also supposed to be up Wednesday for the 4th, but the damn internet decided to be difficult that day and after that i just forgot.

Enjoy!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Jack was still in shock.

He couldn't believe it. Who would want to kill Keegan Evo? He was the kindest man he had ever met in his life.

The ranger was sitting on the fence; his back to the cabin, and he could still hear Luke retching off in the trees. He didn't blame the man. They had both been there before the cops had showed up; he had almost gotten sick himself.

The lights of the officer's all-terrain vehicles were flashing among the trees, red and blue piercing deep into the inky blackness where he could pick out Luke's hunched form. There were several Mightyena and Growlithe running about, trying to sniff out traces of the killer in the woods, but they weren't having any luck so far. The head officers had Absol beside them, sitting perfectly still and at attention as they discussed the situation. Jack and Luke had already been questioned; both about what they knew of Keegan, and, oddly, of the uniform he had been wearing. Neither of them knew what the O.A. stood for, nor the name Integrity, or where he had gotten the uniform from.

The blonde ranger shook his head. Well, whatever that uniform was linked to, probably had a reason to do with why he had been so distant for the last three years. Sighing, he looked back towards the cabin. He still couldn't believe it. It didn't seem real. It _couldn't _be real.

But it was.

The knife had been taken from the doorway, blood samples taken, but the police were unsure as to who's the blood was as of yet. Jack had never known Keegan to own or ever even handle a gun, but one bearing his finger prints had been found. There had been a gunfight previous to the stabbing, as there were two different kind of rounds scattered on the floor.

All they could get of the killer were bloody footprints. The only fingerprints they had lifted were Keegan's own, and of several of the rangers, who had already consented to questioning judging by the radio conversations with the police back at the base. There was one set that was unidentifiable, and the search could take days to figure out if they belonged to anybody in the system. It was likely that they wouldn't find the sick bastard who had done this.

He turned back to the cabin to see the paramedics bringing out the body bag and felt himself seize up again. He was gone, the best man he knew to exist was gone, and in such a violent, brutal way. Stabbed 67 times… that was beyond overkill – that was killing for pure pleasure. Luke came back about then, sleeve to his mouth, his skin a sickly shade of pale green. He pointedly kept his gaze to the ground as the paramedics walked by. Jack turned away sadly, tearing himself from the sight. What a way to go…

Not long after, one of the officers came up, a look of sympathy on his face.

"I'm really sorry about this you two; Keegan was a good friend of a lot of people. Get yourselves back to the base, get something hot or strong to drink, and lay down for a while. I think every one of you is going to need it." He said, clapping Jack on the shoulder. "I'll call tomorrow if there's any progress." Jack nodded and hopped off the fence, and after shaking a few hands, blurred talk, he and Luke headed back to the Ranger Base. Neither talked the entire way back, and when they re-entered the building, the somber mood was apparent. Women were crying around the lobby, men stood in shock in small groups, Melody and Danielle were sitting apart from the main group, crying in each-other's arms. Danielle had given up on talking, being too stressed for her speech to make sense. They sat down with the girls, Danielle hiccupping as she sobbed, trying to dry her eyes. Sea-Salt lay curled in her lap, her ears down, expressing her grief. She gently licked at her trainers' hands or arm now and then in an effort to console her.

After a while, Jack pulled himself together, and sent everybody to bed. They would need the rest, and tomorrow, he would have to clear out Keegan's office, taking his place as Head Ranger, even if he didn't want too. He really didn't, but Keegan had appointed him in case something happened. He lay awake in bed for several more hours, thinking, trying to make sense of everything that had happened that night, which the point of which was moot, nothing that had happened made any sense, from the man's strange past behavior to the odd uniform and murder. In the end, his tired mind finally shut down, and he drifted off to sleep.

-x-

A cigarette lighter burned in the night, briefly illuminating the rather bored face of a red headed man before it was snuffed out, leaving only the glowing red embers of the cigarette it had lit.

"Damnit where is he…" He muttered, glancing at the dull light of a wristwatch before he looked back out through the woods. He blinked as he heard a slight rustle of leaves, and whipped a strange looking gun out, pointing it in that direction.

"Damnit, how the hell do you always know where I am," A new voice whined, making several of the others hiding among the trees jump, one even yelped. The first man rolled his eyes.

"And you call yourselves some of Team Rockets finest," he tsked, and turned back to the newest addition. "I have been your handler for years, Mayhem. I can always tell where you are."

"You're a party pooper, Restrain." Mayhem glowered, the pout evident in his voice.

"I'm supposed to be," Restrain said, shrugging in the darkness. He lowered the gun and took the cigarette from his lips, blowing a puff of smoke into Mayhems face. "Nice work back there by the way, went a little bit on the overkill side though, don't you think?" Mayhem scoffed.

"There is no such thing as 'overkill'," the man huffed as if insulted. "There _is_ such a thing as strategic manslaughter though! The majority of where I stabbed him was in places where it would cause pain, yet would keep him from bleeding out. The last ten or so were the fatal stabs." Restrain blinked at the explanation.

"I repeat, overkill. Anyway, we have him down for the count, but we couldn't find anything after you left and before the Rangers got there with the cops. Luckily, the cops couldn't find anything either, unfortunately, that means we _still_ don't have a lead on this O.A. group! They're starting to get under the bosses skin, they've only caused minor setbacks here and there, but it's starting to add up." There was nervous shuffling of feet in the darkness as Restrain looked around. "And on top of _that_, we lost our lead on _Her_. The place where 'Integrity' was spotted placing his Styler into the tree to get the weapon he used is empty, and those trying to keep a tab on her lost her soon after."

"Fucking idiots…" Mayhem snarled, but fell silent as he felt the gun Restrain was holding in his side.

"Now, get your asses back out there, and get the damn job done! Or its going to be your own hides being ripped to shreds, you little shits want that?" Restrain snarled, taking over for Mayhem. There was a scattered, frantic series of 'Yes Sirs!' before the others scrambled to get away and try to fix what they'd messed up, leaving the last two agents alone. Restrain took a long drag, letting it out slowly. "Too much damn stress…" He muttered. Mayhem looked at him.

"So… switch charges?" He asked hopefully.

"Not in your damned wildest dreams." Restrain snorted. "I'm the only one that knows how to handle you." Mayhem swore violently. "Oh, relax. You can go back. You aren't coming home tonight. That means more freedom for you if you can resist killing. I'm sure you'll end up alone with someone in the next few weeks. Just, _try_ to restrain yourself without me here. Boss _needs_ you in this position. If _she_ comes around looking for help, you can alert us immediately. Otherwise, you can just try to gather information until you're needed elsewhere. Think of it as a reward for behaving well recently."

"Sweet! Place is gonna be a drag now though, which _sucks_, but maybe I'll get some 'beating around the bush' from an upset girlie." He grinned lecherously. Restrain flicked the butt of his cigarette at Mayhem.

"You're one sick bastard," he muttered. "Just be good. I'll contact you when I know more."

"Rodger dodger!" Mayhem said gleefully, and almost skipped back to where he had come from.

* * *

**Authors Note:** Here's the normal Saturday post, hope you enjoy! and our first look at Restrain (the red head if i didn't mention that above) and Mayhem. Two of my favorite characters! Gonna see more of them.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and i hope that you continue to read!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"Come on little guy… damnit…" Ash muttered, poking at a Sunkurla top that was poking out of Misty's garden. He frowned, and started to burrow his hands on either side of the tiny Pokémon, where he hoped the sides were, and not the mouth. He heard the back door open, and knew his wife was coming by the sound of her feet.

"You get him out yet?" She asked, squatting beside him.

"Gotta dig him out; he's pretty comfortable right where he is." He muttered, concentrating. Misty smiled and shook her head.

"Let me help," she said with a smile. Misty got up and walked away, coming back with a pot that had been sitting out in the sun, "Nice and warm, remember the one Gary got to move out of Daisy's violets?" She asked. The dark haired young man smiled.

"I do," he said. "Come on little guy, up we go." Ash hurried to move the tiny plant Pokémon, which began to chatter angrily at being moved, until he placed it in the new, warm soil, and it burrowed in happily. Ash grinned and looked up at the smirking red-headed woman above him. "What would I do without you?" He asked. "I wonder sometimes."

"You would have numerous cuts and bruises from dealing with Pokémon, that's what." Misty grinned. He shook his head and stood, hugging her and planting a kiss on her lips. He couldn't help but remember Gary was nowhere to be found when they had gotten engaged, and after three months of searching, and nothing turning up, Ash had finally given up on Gary as his best man. He didn't enjoy Brock in the role, but Gary had been gone for so long he had hoped that he'd somehow turn up. Misty seemed to read his thoughts and smiled.

"He'll be here for his little nephew or niece." She said. Ash smiled and nodded.

"Sure hope so." He murmured. He patted her stomach, though still small, it was notable that she was pregnant; and despite his concern for his life time best friend, he couldn't help but be happy for their future child.

Their moment was interrupted by the sound of a car pulling into their driveway, making both look up to see a face they hadn't seen for a long while. Ash grinned, letting Misty go and walking down the drive.

"Jack! Long time no see, what's with the surprise visit?" He asked, leaning on the fence, and frowned almost immediately after as the Ranger slowly opened the car door and got out. "What happened?"

"Sorry for the drop in with no notice, I just… everyone at the base is taking off in turns. Some pretty heavy stuff happened, and I figured that this was the perfect place to go."

"Naw, don't worry about it." Ash said, hopping the fence and to the trunk of the rangers car. "You can stay with us, no trouble."

"Ash, no, I just needed to stop by and talk."

"It's alright Jack." Misty smiled "Come on in, I'll start some coffee." She turned to go inside, while Ash helped Jack with the luggage. Jack managed to smile, something he found easy to do in the company of his young friends. They made small talk while Ash set Jack up in the guest room and Misty got the coffee on. Once they were settled in the living room, Jack told the story: his confusion about his friend, Keegan's actions for the past few years, and then the night of the murder.

"It was unexpected, out of the blue, and we had no idea he was involved in anything. The uniform was just, I don't even know." Jack groaned, running his hands over his face. Ash frowned, patting his shoulder.

"You know, the uniform, sounds familiar." He said after a moment. Jack looked at him, brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, about a year ago, I had a challenger come in, bet a pokéball on the match. He wore a uniform similar to the one you said Keegan was wearing, but had an X on the back instead. I didn't think about it at the time, but after I gave Gary the Eevee in the ball and he passed out, I thought it was a little weird that he dropped her off with me, not to mention the match. He looked almost smug; said he knew I knew what to do with her, and then told me I was the person he had to leave her with."

"Why didn't you question it before?" Misty asked, frowning at her husband.

"Well, I was a little too excited at the shiny Eevee. Gary went on and on about one when he woke up, and even after he dropped the issue, I could tell he was torn about what had happened to the Pokémon he thought he had. I knew I had to give it to him." Jack shook his head.

"This is bizarre. They both had the same uniform, so there's a connection. But I never tagged Keegan to be in any kind of gang or weird cult group."

"Did the cops find anything?" Misty asked. Jack shook his head.

"No, not a thing," he replied, shaking his head again in confusion. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Misty getting up to refill their cups.

"So, have you guys been keeping this under wraps? I didn't see anything on the news." Ash said after a moment.

"Yeah; as long as possible, there should be a story tonight." Ash looked into his own mug, swirling the contents a little.

"Let me call Daisy, I know you don't know the oaks well, but Daisy can cook a damn good down-to-earth meal. It'll hit the spot, trust me." He grinned.

"Oh, let her know what's been bugging me Ash," Misty said. "I don't want to ruin the night."

"Will do," Ash grinned, and headed into the other room to make the call. Jack smiled at Misty.

"Thanks, I appreciate it. I really just meant to stop in for a little bit and talk about it; planned on taking a room down at that small inn by the docks. But thanks, this'll be good. Pallet really is the best place to go."

"We're glad to help, Jack." Misty smiled. "And I know Ash wanted to be in here, but if you would consent, we'd like you to let yourself be called an uncle. We're having a baby." Jack blinked.

"Really; congratulations! But Uncle; Misty, you guys are good friends –"

Ash came back at that point, and cut him off. "So be an uncle, come on Jack." He smiled. "We were going to call you up soon, been busy getting ready; haven't gotten in touch with everyone just yet. We'd be honored if you took that title." Jack laughed, smiling for the first time since Keegan's death.

"Sure. If it means that much to you, I'll be your kids' uncle." He said. Ash grinned.

"Awesome. Oh, Daisy invited _us_ over for dinner, I guess they were already having Heather over, she's still not spilled the beans on her mystery boyfriend, and Daisy's biting her nails trying to figure it out. She's making a pot roast, so you'll be good Misty."

"Oh good," She sighed. "Anything with fish, and I'd be done for the night." She shuddered. Ash shrugged. It honestly made no sense to him, but he went with it. The three headed over to the Oak's home a few hours later, after Jack laid down, and was greeted with enthusiasm by Daisy and the Prof. He had been on the team that had rescued Gary. Introductions went around as Heather met Jack, and Jack met the Ninetails. Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder almost immediately to play with Umbreon and Eevee. Gary was the last, offering a half smile and a handshake. He was uncharacteristically silent anymore, making everything slightly awkward. However, the rest had become adept at covering those moments up, and Ash hurried to ask Heather to relate how she had gotten her Ninetails.

The activity did to Jack some good, until after dinner when everyone agreed to sit and watch the news program. Heather looked like she was trying hard not to cry, and even her Pokémon appeared as if he was also grieving. They sat in silence as the opening message of the news channel passed, and everyone fell silent as the reporter turned to the camera, and began to relate the story.

"_Tragedy befell a well-known Ranger base last week, when one of its members was brutally murdered. The victim in question was none other than the head of said base, Keegan Evo. Known to many as a kind, courageous man; willing to do anything and everything to help both people and Pokémon alike. He was last seen leaving the building last Friday night after refusing an invitation to a party the rest of the base was having. Luke Messenger, one of the newest members to the base, left the party almost 45 minutes later, to try and convince Evo to attend. Witness reports say he came sprinting back twenty minutes later, and as other Rangers contacted authorities, Luke and Jack Walker, the new Head, hurried back to the residence of Keegan Evo to try and see if the culprit was still in the area._

"_Keegan Evo was pronounced dead on the scene, stabbed 67 times. The report mentions a gun fight, proving for the last time, this man wasn't willing to go down without a fight. He was found lying in the main hall of his cabin home, clothed in an unfamiliar uniform to the rest of his colleagues, raising the question of what Keegan Evo had been up to for the past few years. More questions than answers have been found during the investigation, and no suspects have been found. The police have no other information, and request anyone who was close to Mr. Evo, to please, come forward with any information."_

The broadcast went on to interviews, Jack and Luke in them, Danielle was spotted shaking her head and walking away after her stutter inhibited her ability to speak properly. From the start of the story, a photograph of Keegan had flashed up on the screen, and even though it had vanished when the video footage had come up, Gary remained sitting stock still, staring at the screen. Heather's Ninetails noticed it first. He glanced over and tilted his head at the man, and as Gary's body began to twitch, his tails flicked uneasily.

A strange tremor ran up Gary's body, making his hair stand on end momentarily, and the pain was visible in his eyes as his head began to pound. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the commercials now on the television, a roaring had begun inside his head and it was rising to a level he couldn't handle. Ninetails began to growl at Gary, fur bristling as the man choked, alerting the rest to what was happening. They all leapt to their feet, the large fox pokemon backing away, teeth showing as Gary slid off the couch to his knees, gasping for air as Jack ran for the phone. Pikachu, Umbreon, and Eevee joined Ninetails in a corner, huddled in his tails as he continued to growl. Heather had gone from teary eyed and upset to the complete opposite in a second, composed, taking control of the situation.

Gary was aware of the commotion, but didn't register it. The roaring was too loud, and he couldn't breathe. Someone's voice was speaking to him, kind and humorous. The type of voice you could trust the moment you heard it. He was trying to cling to that, it was the clearest thing he had remembered in a long, long time; but he found it difficult to try and remember, and also preform basic functions at the same time. It didn't take long at all, he passed out, the commotion around him dimming slowly as he slumped to the floor.

-x-

X frantically typed at the keyboard of his laptop, Honesty just beside him, just as excited, angry, and nervous as he was. "Come on, Come on; Come _on_!" He hissed, smacking the side of the device until the sound of a phone picking up was heard, and his video call was answered by a sleepy looking Justice, and a rather Irritated Freedom. "Shit, _finally_!" X breathed.

"Dude, what the heck; It's three _in the morning_." Justice groaned. He had just gotten to bed after a straight 72 hours awake.

"I know you were resting, Justice, and I know you were working, Freedom, but this, will be worth your while." X Grinned. "I know that we lost Integrity. But he gave us one last boost. We were watching the target while he was watching the news broadcast of the story, and went into this weird panic attack. His memory is coming back! I swear it." X grinned. Both Justice and Freedom perked up at that.

"That's brilliant news! How did it go?" Freedom asked. X frowned.

"Well, not well. He seemed to seize up, passed out but was okay. They got him to the hospital and he's supposed to be home in the morning."

"Well that's good." Freedom said, leaning back in his seat.

"That's not all." X said, making the older man furrow his brow in confusion, while Justice sat closer to his screen in curiosity. "I noticed something odd, just for a moment, but I swear to you, he's one of _us_."

Justice, who had just taken a drink from a water bottle he had produced from somewhere under his desk turned in time to miss his computer as he spit the drink out in shock.

"He's _what?_"

* * *

**Authors Notes:** Too bad not all my chapters can be this long! There was A LOT that needed unloaded in this one. Didn't think spliting it into two chapters would be very good, i didn't like how it looked when i tried :/

Gary's reaction was interesting to write out, Tried using the 'bench scene' from the first version and incorperate his reaction to the name Keegan into his reaction to seeing his face and hearing his name, then having the set beleif in the man compleatly shattered; so it was interesting to think about how he would react.

anyhoo, heading out of town for the weekend, so i posted early! Hope you enjoy!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

-/-

"Okay, run that by me again," Justice said after he wiped his mouth off. Freedom had vanished from his screen, but the other three could hear keys clicking in the background.

"He's like me, like _her_, I know it." X repeated. "Honesty saw it too, it's… its bizarre! Just when the… 'Procedure' happened we're not sure; we've crossed examined all the information we were able to gather, but the sons-a-bitches managed it. I'm not sure if _he_ knows it yet, but it's no wonder his body's been failing him."

Freedom came back into view, holding a clipboard. "There's a possibility he could survive, if he's come this far, but then again, he could go downhill from here and waste away completely." X shook his head in denial.

"There's got to be something we can do! We _can't_ let Integrity's death be for nothing! We've been working at this for far too long." X exclaimed, slamming his fist into the desk.

"X, calm down; we're all upset about Integrity's death, alright?" Justice said, wishing he was on the other end of the video call to knock some sense into the other man. "But at this point we can't help Him! He has to make it through this on his own. It's _his_ body."

"There's nothing I can do to even reverse the effects." Freedom said. "We'll just have to wait and see, and pray that our goal is reached, but the outcome is in His hands. Not ours, X. You know that better than the rest of us."

"You guys don't know how hard it is for us to watch him just, give up; we know it's not in his personality. It's almost _wrong_ for it to have even shown up!" X sighed, running his hands through his hair in frustration. Honesty put her hands on his shoulders comfortingly.

"I know it's frustrating, but I thought of something when you said that. Yes, it's wrong that the will to give up and die is apparently a choice in his conscious mind, but unconsciously, the real him still lives. Sure, it might be sleeping, but I don't think it would ever let that man give up and die. He is going to fight as hard as he can, you'll see." She smiled.

"She's right, I'm sure he just needs the right stimulation, the right trigger. The Eevee wasn't enough, although it was a good plan; seemed to work for a bit there. But you are correct about Integrity, X. I believe that the image of our dear friend may have triggered something in his mind, and he just might begin to remember." Freedom said, adjusting his glasses.

"We can only hope." Justice sighed. "Get to bed you guys. Get some rest. We can set up another meeting at a later date, but for now, we have to find someone to replace Integrity. I know you won't want to give the name to someone else, but if you can find the right man, or woman, you let me know. Honesty, X, you are official partners from here on out. Good luck you two, keep us updated."

"Yes sir." X and Honesty nodded in unison. Justice and Freedom both nodded back, and signed off. Honesty looked at X and smiled.

"Well, looks like you're stuck with me for good now." She laughed X wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I've been around for a year; I think I can stand being stuck for a while longer." He grinned, leaning in to kiss her gently. He moved some hair out of her face as he pulled away. "I love you, Heather." He smiled.

"I love you too, Adam." She replied. After sharing another kiss, they turned from the computer and vanished down a dark hall. Her kids were over at friends, enabling the rather loud conversation, and for Adam to come out of hiding. It would be back to normal in the morning. And back to surveillance duty.

-x-

In the darkness, a woman's sobs sounded, choked and grief ridden. It had been a week, but the pain was still fresh. He had been her best friend. Now she didn't know where to go. There was nowhere safe.

"_Pikaaaa,_" the concerned murmur of a pokémon beside her crooned, standing on its tiny back feet and nudging at her arm, ears flopping in sadness. She looked down, and picked it up, snuggling her friend close. Several more crowded around her, each offering their own comfort, another small pokémon squeezed into her arms, licking her cheek. She wiped her eyes, sobbing dryly, and clicked the button on the device in her hands, following the instructions he had written on a sheet of paper, and her friend's voice rang out into the still of the night.

_Hey, it's me, though I suppose you can figure that. I'm glad you got the styler, equally glad you have followed my instructions. You found the money, I hope. You'll need it. The pack and extra clothes and food; good, you found those too. If you have heard nothing, then you are far enough away from the cabin, and are safe. If you hear a gunshot, run. Run as hard and fast as you can. Get as far away from here as possible, they are here, and they want you. I personally don't hold much for my own safety. But I'll sure as hell die trying to keep you safe. I know you are wondering what you are going to do now; well, I can help one last time. _

_He's alive, and okay. Just a little under the weather since the incident. So you can rest assured no lasting harm has come to him; as for somewhere to stay? That's easy, Pallet Town: 'A Place for New Beginnings.' I was there once, years ago. It's a very nice place to be. There should be motels down by the docks; it's a very small fishing town, really. As for possibility of work, there are places that need help by the day. The best people to go to and get to know are the Oaks; friendliest people in town. _

_Now be good, stay out of sight, and live your life the way you deserve to live it. Sorry I'm gone now, and can't help you. I cherished our friendship, and I hope you always will. _

As the message ended, fresh sobs racked her body, even when she thought her tears were spent. Something terrible always happened to the ones she cared the most about. Her brother, two of her friends now… what point was there to trying to start again? _Third times a charm!_ He would say cheerfully. She smiled a little after a moment, looking down at the styler. Maybe it was. She would have to wait and see. She'd give this town a try. And maybe, just maybe, everything would work out.

-x-

What the hell was wrong with him?

He had asked that question it seemed like a thousand times over since he had woken up.

Gary was currently sitting in his bed, home from the hospital three days after he had reacted so violently to the broadcast of Keegan Evo's death. He had written three pages in his journal since he had woken up. He hadn't expected to remember anything, but he had. Simply the realization of recognition, that Keegan had been someone to trust, and the word 'safety' that he had associated with the face right away, had shattered like a rock and been chucked through a window. That was what had set the panic attack off. At first, he had been relaxed, the recognition had come easily for whatever reason, and he'd felt good for a little bit. But the moment he had registered that the man was dead, it had gone downhill.

Gary let his head bang against the wall behind him and sighed. He was so, so tired. Rest… he needed rest, and he knew it but it was so very hard to fall asleep anymore with the looming threat of nightmares on the brink of his exhaustion. He felt a strange thrill go through his body, and he relaxed, closing his eyes and falling asleep. Eevee and Umbreon were curled up beside him in a warm ball of fluff, and for the first time in a long time, the night passed smoothly.

-x-

"Are you sure he's qualified?" Justice sounded unsure, frowning at his computer screen as he scrolled through the man's file.

"Positive, Justice. He was Integrity's, sorry, Keegan's right hand man practically." X replied form his end of the video call. "He's been in pallet for three weeks. Honesty and I both have studied and observed him in very different ways. He qualifies. His Chatot, though not his originally, seems to be quite attached to him and he treats it very kindly."

"Well, I'll trust your judgment." I'll have to meet up with Deliverance and arrange a meeting with him. He denies, we'll have to pull out of the position and loose that information 'in.' you know that, right?"

"I know." X grinned. "Trust me. He's got the determination of any hard headed pokémon, and great drive, not to mention the motivation to join up." X paused, looking over his shoulder. "Crap, I have to go. Honesty and the kids are back."

Justice nodded and ended the conversation, leaning back in his seat after X's screen vanished, chewing on the end of a pen. He scrolled back up the profile and studied the man's face. He smiled after a moment.

"I like his face." He murmured to himself. "Trustworthy." Maybe, just maybe, the blonde, seasoned ranger would be a wonderful addition to their group, replacing no less a courageous man. He was sure the blonde would take his friends spot with pride. All that was left to do was speak with Deliverance the next time she called in, and arrange a meeting.

Suddenly, another beeping caught his attention, and he glanced at the bottom of the computer screen, clicking and opening a new video chat. It was two of the lower members, set on the difficult task to surveillance _her_.

"What is it you two?" He asked, sitting up straight, concerned.

"Subject is on the move! I repeat _SUBJECT IS ON THE MOVE!"_ the excited voice of the male half of the pair shouted into the walkie-talkie. The screen was moving, and he caught a glimpse of someone in the trees, a flash of white and yellow, and a grin broke out on his face.

"Great work you two! Where is she headed?"

"Pallet; she's three days walk from Pallet town, she just left Viridian!" Justice couldn't help but whoop in the privacy of his small office.

That was the greatest news they had heard in three years.

* * *

**Authors Note:** I really dont remember the last time i updated, hopefully it was only two weeks ago.

Going out of town again, so here's an early update!

I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Gary groaned, cursing another morning.

Warm weather again, he hated it. It drained his energy and it was when his lapses became worse and when Daisy began to try and slip him pills. Yes, he knew it. It had taken him awhile to realize it, but for whatever reason, her timing was awful and he always started going off his food before she began to attempt to slip him the anti-depressants.

"_UP!"_

The sudden command made Gary jump, looking around his room for anyone who would have spoken, only seeing Umbreon and Eevee in his face, eager to start their day. He smiled a little for them as Umbreon batted his nose, and then got up himself, shutting the blinds to his window. The light hurt his eyes. He stretched, feeling his back crack a few times, and then rubbed his face. Umbreon was watching him with a tilted head. Something was a little different about his trainer lately, but he couldn't decide what it was. What he could tell was that he didn't seem quite so tired today. This observation made the little pokémon go haywire with excitement, and dashed up and down the stairs with Eevee as Gary finally got dressed and headed downstairs.

Gary smiled a little as the Dark type went sprawling on his last pass down, Eevee landing right on top, and the two dashed off, not paying any attention to the slip. Daisy started laughing from the other room as the two made it to the kitchen.

"What on earth are you two so excited for this morning?" She exclaimed, trying to reach into the cupboard for their food as they danced around her feet.

"I have no idea." Gary answered his sister, sitting at the table. He ran a hand through his hair, frowning. He would have to get it cut soon, was getting a little long.

"Feeling better today? That was a pretty big panic attack." Daisy said, setting a plate in front of her brother. He shrugged.

"I guess so." He answered, picking at his food. He wasn't all that hungry. Daisy turned to get into the fridge for her lunch, biting her lip. Her brother was barely more than skin and bones lately, the IV he had been on at the hospital had to be the most nutrition he had gotten for a month or more. After a few moments of silence, she grabbed her bag and lunch.

"I'm off to work; Grandpa's already out in the labs with Jack and Heather. Ash might be stopping by, I'm not sure. He and Misty are still setting up the nursery."

"I'll get the dishes, Sis. You just get to work, I'll be fine, don't worry." He said, offering a smile. It felt off, plastic almost, but he still tried. Daisy smiled back, but it had the same effect. They hugged briefly and she left for work, leaving Gary alone. He sighed, and slumped over the table.

He hadn't been able to get Keegan off his mind.

He still associated the man with safety, even though he knew he was gone. It was hard to process especially when he didn't know why he knew him, or why he had associated the ranger with being safe. Little bits of the man were coming back, however. The way he stood, laughed, cared for pokémon; little things. Things that most would pass off as insignificant, but they were all Gary had and he clung to them like a lifeline.

Finally, he stood and washed the dishes, tossing his now cold food into the trash; and headed out back to the labs. It was a nice, sunny day with clear skies and little breeze. Most would find it relaxing, but Gary found it taxing on his strength. The walk was short, but seemed to take forever to him now. Umbreon and Eevee romping across the lawn kept him moving until a soft voice sounded out, calling his name.

"Gary Oak?"

It was unsure, as if trying to guess that it was him, afraid that they had spoken the wrong name. He turned to see a young woman, her hair long and white, pulled back into a high ponytail. She wore woman's hiking boots, well worn, and clothes usually worn by Hikers. She lacked the stereotypical pack, but the rest was in order. Around her waist was a standard trainer belt, 5 pokéballs visible in the slots. Her sixth was beside her, a strange looking Pikachu. Eevee and Umbreon both paused in their game to look at her also, Umbreon's tail beginning to wave back and forth in excitement as the young woman smiled.

"Hi, my name is Eve Neo – oh!" She was cut short as Gary abruptly fainted, eyes rolling back into his head, collapsing first to his knees and then his face. Umbreon froze, his hair standing on end, and then dashed to his trainer, licking his face as Eve ran to the labs. It was the only thing she could think of to do.

Inside, Samuel was showing Heather notes he had taken on a sick pokémon, both suggesting different reasons for the illness and deciphering a cure. They jumped as the doors flung open, admitting a flustered young lady they had never seen before. Heathers Ninetails perked up, his ears standing straight.

"Help, please, someone just collapsed out here, I don't know why!" She cried. Samuel immediately dropped his clipboard and dashed out, the stranger hot on his heels. Heather remained for a moment, frozen, and then looked at the Ninetails, which looked back at her. She smiled, and he seemed to return the gesture, his tails wagging a little, before she followed after the Professor, a worried look plastered to her face.

-x-

"Keep doing that Will, and you're going to lose a finger." A sharp female voice brought the attention of Will, who was busy cleaning his fingernails with a small knife.

"I hate how naggy you get when you're in 'lab mode' Brittany" he muttered fondly. Brittany rolled her eyes, and continued doing what she had been, studying something through a microscope. Will, however, did put the knife down. He stared up at the ceiling, frowning. He had nothing to do when his charge was on a mission.

"Worried about Mayhem?" Brittany asked absently.

"A little; he's been alright, but I'm still expecting a random outburst that's going to get us caught." Will sighed.

"I don't think he'd risk being stuck in that cell of a room of his for another month for bad behavior. I think he likes this freedom, and is going to keep it till the end of his mission which will be soon, so stop fretting." Will frowned.

"I don't 'fret'" he muttered. Brittany gave him a look to which he gazed back evenly.

"You're ever in denial, William." She laughed softly. She put the microscope away not long after her comment, hearing a bell ring down the hall faintly. Will looked up from fiddling with his gun.

"Tossing in the towel early tonight?" He asked curiously.

"Figured I'd better, I know you won't let me go a night without eating when you're here."

"You have that right. Last time I was gone, you didn't eat for a week." Will said absentmindedly, standing and putting the gun back in its holster. He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her ear. "Don't worry. Even though this first shot failed, there will be plenty of actual Rocket members willing to attempt the procedure. The last run letting her choose her partner was just unlucky. We'll get it this time." He said, smiling. She looked up at him, smiling back.

"Thanks Will. I'm sure it'll turn out fine." He nodded, but was a little stiff talking about the subject, unconsciously rubbing his arm where a few fine circular scars remained. Brittany noticed, but didn't say anything. It was best to leave _that_ subject alone.

-x-

Justice walked into his little office, shutting the door behind him with a foot, his arms full of food for the mini fridge Deliverance had practically ordered he set up by his desk, and a cot now laid against the far wall for sleep when he needed it. He paused mid chew, a piece of jerky still hanging out of his mouth as he watched the screen of his computer, the ringing sound of the demand of a pickup from his two agents in Pallet. After this registered, he nearly choked on the mouthful he had, almost dropped his armload of snacks, and practically dove for his computer, clicking the 'accept' button with an excited grin on his face.

"What happened?" He asked eagerly. X looked just as excited.

"She's here, and they've reunited. He passed out, but he's alright!" the pale haired man replied. Honesty leaned in.

"She's staying by the docks, but this worked out so well. She's caring for him currently, and I can tell His sister already likes her, so I'm assuming they'll be close friends. We're praying for further interaction between the two." Justice whooped, spinning in his chair making them laugh at his antics.

"This is amazing! Everything is working out perfectly!" He said. "Deliverance and I have a solid plan to recruit the new Integrity the moment he returns to the base. He's one of several that are taking a break at the moment."

"Awesome. He still seems the perfect candidate." X said. "Good luck with that, we just had to call and tell you the good news. Our plan is working and soon will be in full motion."

"Can't wait; there's an unexpected boost with the information you gathered before, but that only makes it all better!" Justice agreed with a grin, blonde hair flopping into his eyes. "I'll call you again; I have a few of the others trying to contact me."

"We'll update you the end of next week." X promised. Justice nodded in agreement and they hung up.

* * *

**Authors Note:** Sorry about the late update! Went to the amusement park near

where i live in celebration of my new job with my boyfriend on friday, and Saturday was just too busy.

Hope you enjoy this chapter! I sure did. Mainly because of Eve's appearance :)

I've missed her these past 14 chapters. She was brought in so quickly last time.

Hope you continue to read and enjoy!


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen:

Gary twitched slightly, visions running through his mind. He was feeling slightly feverish, a familiar sensation. He remembered another time, feeling sick and weak, laying on something that wasn't quite as nice as a bed, but better than rock or dirt. He remembered a pretty face above him, caring for him, concern filling their eyes. He recalled that he had always chalked it up to delusions after the spell had passed, but now he wondered about them as he felt a cool cloth on his throbbing head. He must have passed out again, probably hit his head on the pavement during the walk to the labs. Daisy was probably home now and caring for him. He tasted something bitter at the thought. He had been such a burden on everyone around him no matter how he tried not to. He had only been getting worse.

And just who had that girl been? He had turned, and the moment he saw her, there had been a loud rushing sound in his ears, and the next thing he knew, everything was black. Now he was in bed, Daisy leaning over him, again. At least it wasn't the hospital. He hated the place almost as much as he hated warm weather now.

The door to his room opened, and someone padded in softly.

"Eve, is he doing any better?" Gary recognized his sister's voice, but mentally frowned. Who was Eve?

"His fever went down quickly, so he should be fine by morning." The soft voice of Eve sent a lancing pain through Gary's mind as her face flashed across his thoughts, and he remembered everything from just before he had fainted. He lay still for a little longer as the two women conversed, until he could take it no longer. Slowly, he began to sit up, groaning slightly, eyes shut tight and teeth clenched against the dull throbbing in his head. He knew where each woman was from the sound of their voice and turned to Eve as he opened his eyes, fully expecting to pass out again; but for whatever reason, a feeling of warmth passed over him, and the throbbing slowly began to subside. Her hair was down now, pulled around and hanging over a shoulder; several strands having fallen free and were framing her face on the other side.

She had a soft, pale face, almost heart shaped with doe-like grey eyes and thin lips, but not unattractive. She still wore her hiking clothes, although her vest was missing. She smiled at him, and although he tried to return the gesture, his mouth simply twitched.

Daisy glanced back and forth between them, her breath catching as she tried to figure out what this pause meant, but smiled. "Sheesh Gary, you are gonna make me go gray!" She chastised, making her brothers gaze turn to her.

"Sorry Sis. This fainting crap irritates me more than you guys." He said sitting up all the way. Eve reached for a glass of water.

"Here, some pain killers for your head, you hit it a little hard." She said. He nodded a little, and after a moment's hesitation, took the glass and pills from her. Daisy felt like she could cry from happiness. She had never been able to get him to take any kind of pill at all. "I'm sorry about earlier, suppose I should properly introduce myself. My name is Eve Neova, I came here looking for some quiet and was told your family were the people to get into touch with. Your sister and Grandfather are very nice, sorry our meeting went so badly." She said, laughing a little nervously.

"S'alright; no lasting damage done… none that's already been done anyway." Gary replied.

"I'm going to go get supper on!" Daisy exclaimed suddenly, and fled the room for fear of the two seeing the tears in her eyes. Gary hadn't shrugged, grunted, or gave any of his halfhearted replies… He had come back with a witty comment, like he used to do. Sure it was a little dark, but that wasn't the point. She wondered at the sudden switch, but she wasn't one to complain about a blessing.

Eve smiled at Gary's comment. She put the rag that had fallen off his head into the bowl of ice water and stood.

"Daisy invited me to stay for dinner, so I'll see you downstairs?" She asked. He looked up at her from where he now sat on the edge of his bed.

"Sure. See you down there." He said, and watched her as she left. The moment the door was shut, he dug into his night-table and drew out his journal, beginning to write. He bent over it for a good fifteen minutes before he got up to change his clothes into something a little less wrinkled. He came down the stairs ruffling up his hair and then smoothing it to be greeted by the sight of Umbreon and Eevee playing with Eve's odd Pikachu, only because of its jagged ear markings, on the living room floor and what he assumed was her Espeon. The Pikachu and Umbreon were doing most of the rough housing, as only boys will do, while Eevee and the Espeon avoided the path of the tussling males.

The somber red-head felt a trill go through is body as he heard a light laughter coming from the kitchen where Daisy's voice was coming from. Curiosity piqued, he headed that way, Umbreon pausing in his play, the mouse's ear in his mouth, then bounded after his trainer, the Pikachu close behind. Gary entered the kitchen to see both Daisy and the young woman he now knew as Eve at the stove, Daisy showing the other woman how that particular meal was made it seemed and telling stories.

Umbreon went skidding across the linoleum flooring and with an excited yip from Eevee, she joined him, closely followed by a skeptical Pikachu and even Espeon tried it after a moment's hesitation. Daisy and Eve laughed, looking at their feet, until Daisy caught sight of Gary, smiling a little at the Pokémon's antics, sidling towards the table.

"Dinner's almost ready, Gary; your favorite." She smiled. Gary raised his eyes to meet hers and nodded.

"Thanks." He said. Daisy ignored the usual response, and bounced to the pantry for a few spices. Eve, however, was still a little taken aback. Daisy and the Professor had explained about Gary's condition, but it was odd to see it in person. Her eyes flicked over his form and frowned. He was thinner than a twig, his cheeks were shallow and his skin pale, but one could tell it was naturally a healthy, lightly sun kissed tan of someone who loved to be outdoors.

"So… sorry about before." She said awkwardly after a moment. Gary shrugged.

"Nothing to be sorry for, I'm used to it happening," He said. Eve nodded and lifted the arm in her lap to make room for her pokémon as they hopped up.

"This is Zephyr, my Pikachu." She said as the little yellow head poked over the top of the table, the tips of his jaggedly marked ears twitching curiously as he gazed at Gary.

"_Chaaa?_" the questioning cry came as he looked at his trainer. She shook her head, and he went back to gazing at Gary.

"My Espeon, Gaia." She said, trying to keep conversation moving. Gary raised an eyebrow as Daisy came back.

"Why Gaia," Gary questioned, and Eve shrugged a little.

"It was the only name she liked." Eve smiled. He nodded and looked up as the door opened, admitting Samuel.

"Ah! Gary, you're up." He smiled. Gary nodded.

"Yeah, I'm up." He said.

"And just in time for dinner." Daisy added, coming to the table with two steaming plates of steak, green beans, and a baked potato. One she set one in front of Gary, the other she sat down for Eve, heading back to the stove for her and Samuel's plates.

While the other three enjoyed their meal, and his family members kept most of Eve's attention off of Gary picking at his plate; the red head sat silently, mostly listening, occasionally offering a word or two. Daisy and Samuel tried not to hold their breath as they watched Gary picking at his plate. He rarely ate around this time, and they never saw him eat more than a bite. But this time, he brought the fork to his lips not once, but enough times to finish half his plate; which was probably all his stomach could handle with how little he ate anymore. His family members were beside themselves with happiness, but kept it to themselves as they conversed with Eve, this miracle woman that had come to town just in the nick of time.

* * *

**Authors Note:** And here we have the first sign of Gary's recovery!

For those of you who read the original, you may remember me complaining about how hard it was

to work with a depressed Gary, and that was for under ten chapters, can't believe I've gone so long this time!

This was a very fun chapter to write, and i like how this first meeting went as opposed to the other.

I hope you continue to read and enjoy!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen:

Booted feet traveled slowly down a stark white hallway, lights illuminating the walls and tiles almost to a blinding degree, contrasting greatly with his black uniform and half black, half red jacket. Newcomers would be stunned by the brightness of the facility, at least until they were there for several weeks. He, however, was used to it. The place had been his home for longer than he cared to admit. At 35 years old, he felt he should have grey hairs already, simply dealing with the person he was charged with keeping should have been enough to make him go white.

Pausing, he frowned and backed up. Several locks of bright red hair fell into equally bright green eyes as he did this, taking in the sight before him. Sighing, he changed his course and entered the room he had been gazing into.

"Brooding, are we Mayhem?" He asked sitting beside a man slumped over in his seat, arms lying out over the table, gazing out the window listlessly. He received no answer from Mayhem, and so looked out the window as well, to the winding road that led away from the base. "It's longing." He said softly. "You're feeling longing, Mayhem. It's perfectly normal. She's been gone quite some time."

"Oh shut up, Willie." Mayhem growled, turning his head away. Will frowned.

"Really now; you miss her. You miss having a warm body to turn to in your sleep. I hear you hitting your wall almost every night. I can't imagine what you feel, I really can't. Though I do imagine it's a hundred times worse than what I feel when Brittany is away for only a few nights."

"Will you just shut your fucking trap already and leave me alone?!" Mayhem snapped, turning burning eyes on Will. "We both know how I am: All I can do is kill people; it's all I enjoy. I was toying with her the entire time she was here. Now that she's gotten away, well, the hunts begun. That's all." He said, and turned to glowering out the window again. Will shook his head as he stood from his seat.

"Believe what you want, but you loved her, and you still love her. That's why you feel so torn up still about her vanishing like that." His charge didn't move, bringing a sympathetic look to Will's face as he turned and left the room. He truly felt sorry for the man. In some strange way, he was his friend. He hated to see him hurt this way, but he refused to listen and understand exactly why.

"William, is that you?"

Will smiled as a slightly distracted voice drifted down the hall to him from behind. He turned to see Brittany, quite opposite of what she was like in her lab. She seemed out of it, dreamy almost.

"Hey there, Brit." He said as he approached her, kissing her gently. She smiled back, a hand moving to his. "Hungry?"

"I am." He smiled, taking her hand in his and continuing his journey down the seemingly endless hallway. Moments later, they were joined by a brown haired man with mischievous, dark colored eyes. Some couldn't even tell they had green in them from the shade, but it was an attractive mixture of green and brown, not unlike Mayhem's, however, Mayhem's eyes were bright and gave the illusion of kindness.

"Heyo lovebirds, taking Britt to lunch again?" He asked Will, falling into step beside the other man. Will chuckled.

"Quite the opposite; she came to find me." He replied. Brittany blinked, looking over at the newcomer with a vague expression on her face.

"Oh, Jillian, have you been here long? I didn't notice you arrive."

"You never do when you're out of your lab, Britt." Jillian said fondly. Most people couldn't understand why Will was with the absent minded scientist, but most people didn't see her at work. "So, how's our brooding charge? I haven't seen much of him since he came back."

"He's brooding, as you said." Will said, sighing. "He's hardly eaten and his sanity is slipping even further away. His meds are going to have to be upped again. I cannot believe how many drugs it takes to calm him anymore." He muttered. Jillian snorted.

"Or how much tranquilizer it takes to knock him out." He muttered. Will managed a smile there.

"How the man ever became a friend, I have no idea." He said. Jillian shrugged.

"Might be the fact that you beat the crap out of him his first day here." He said, to which Will nodded thoughtfully.

"He does have pretty eyes, though." Brittany spoke up from beside Will, making both men look at her. She was currently looking up towards the ceiling. "I do wonder if there will be crab for dinner."

"Sure, that sounds good." Will said. He was used to her rapidly changing subjects, and random spurts of either information or sudden realizations of things she thought about. Jillian, however, was frowning.

"I don't know how you follow her, Will." He shook his head. Will smiled and squeezed the woman's hand.

"Love and seven years of dating, that's how." He chuckled. Jillian smirked.

"Rockets don't love, Will, you know that." Will rolled his eyes at that. Everyone knew Jillian was a family man at heart, even if he could be a little rough and tumble on a mission. "SO, they ever figure out just what was wrong with him?" he asked, glancing back down the hall Mayhem was in. Will shrugged, and Brittany spoke up.

"He has grown to believe he has a case of psychopathy, and is unable to realize that he cares deeply for those of us closest to him, or that he truly is in love with Lindsey. He must have heard someone muttering about it after he killed his own parents, and the idea stuck." She recited, as if from the man's own medical files. Jillian blinked, and then began laughing.

"Damn Brit, you throw me for a loop every time." He chuckled. Will threw an arm around the woman's slim shoulders as she smiled shyly at Jillian.

"It's my defense mechanism." She smiled. Will chuckled.

"And that's why I love you." He grinned as they continued down the hall towards the mess hall.

Meanwhile, Mayhem remained alone, not realizing that his stomach was growling for food. His chest ached, had been for five years. Deep down, he knew that Will was right. He missed her lying beside him every night, missed being able to turn to her if he ever felt lonely; no matter what time it was, she had always opened her arms to him. His shoulders shuddered as he remembered her touch, her gentle hugs, and her soft kisses. She had been far too pure to be part of Team Rocket, but she had kept him sane. He closed his eyes and could almost feel her lying on his back, gently rubbing his arms.

"Damnit Lindsey." He murmured, opening lonely eyes to the sight of the road illuminated by a big, beautiful full moon. "Why?"

* * *

**Authors Note:** I feel i should mention this...

I recentl put up a Harry Potter fic and a helpful reader linked me to a 'Mary-Sue' test site as I was worried that a character in that fic was mary-sueish.

ONe of the questions asked about unusual hair and eye colors... Hopefully Will isn't a Gary-Stu, but there IS a reason for his odd hair and eye colors, he wasn't born with them.

I hope you liked this chapter.

Gives a little in sight to my Rocket Teams life, and a little closer look into the mind of Mayhem. He's psycho, but lonely.

And it's my birthday today! 22 ^^ yet still addicted to Pokemon ah well. It was my first ever video game, shall always be a poke-nerd!


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen: 

Stars dotted the cloudless sky, and the moon, full and bright, illuminating a young woman with soft brown hair pulled into a ponytail sitting on the edge of a cliff face. She wore thigh-high black leather boots, and a skin-tight black mini dress with long-sleeves. Over top this she had on a white vest with blue stripes, and a large gold star on the back, the name Liberty printed beneath it and had a thick blue leather utility belt and wore a purple stripe like Justice.

Right now, she looked forlorn, lonely, and even wiped a tear from her cheek as she glanced behind her, seeing a man in a similar uniform but with pants, red hair and freckles approaching.

"Hey sis, feeling okay?" He asked, plopping himself beside her. She shook her head.

"I miss him. I know it's stupid, but I do. He never did anything to hurt us while we were with him, I just, I don't know." She sighed as her brother put an arm around her.

"I know Liberty." He said. "He was a pretty good guy, can't say I'm too comfortable knowing what he is now, but at the time, he was good to you." Liberty nodded, wiping her eyes again.

"What about you, Equality?" She asked, looking at him. "You miss William?"

"Well sure." Equality shrugged. "He was a good friend, for the time." Liberty nodded, and the siblings sat in silence for a while.

"So, you hear about the new 'Integrity' yet?" Liberty asked. Equality shook his head.

"Not much other than that Justice has X and Honesty working on it."

"Well I guess they found him. He's working where Deliverance is stationed, so she and Justice are going to arrange a meeting."

"Damn, wish we could go; sounds exciting." Equality said. Liberty smiled.

"It does, doesn't it? But, we have to stay here and monitor this area. Looking out for Mayhem and Restrain are top priority now."

"Speaking of which, you, go sleep." Equality ordered his sister, who began to protest. "No buts, you've been up for almost 24 hours! Go sleep, I can keep watch." Liberty sighed after a few more attempts, and finally got up, swinging her legs back over the edge of the cliff and standing.

"Alright, I'll see you in the morning. Make sure you eat something, alright?"

"No problem sis." Equality grinned. Liberty gave her brother a hug and then walked back the way Equality had come. The walk back to the tiny cabin was a little too long for her weary mind. She was nearly stumbling in her boots by the time she reached the front door, and gladly removed them to pad silently through the house. She paused for a little bit at a small desk, switched on a lamp and began to write. Nearly an hour later, she reached for an envelope, slid the letter and a photograph into it, and walked to a Pidgey roosting outside a window. She laid the letter beside its food dishes, where it would find it in the morning and know what to do. She then padded through the home to a small room, where a revolving nightlight showed images of legendary pokémon circling the room. She smiled softly, leaned over the tiny form curled into the Legendary Dog blankets, cuddling with a Lugia plushy, and kissed the mop of soft brown hair before tip-toeing out of the room to her own, where she stretched out on her bed and fell asleep.

-X-

Will was up early again, Brittany gone about an hour before, also woken by the sounds of his charge thrashing in the room one over. She, however, had meaningful work to do, research to keep her busy and her mind moving, whereas he was stuck listening to the nightmares, unable to help, and having his own sleep cut short.

So now he sat at his window, watching the sunrise, waiting for the now familiar sight of a little pokémon making its way to him. It wasn't long before he saw it, the same Pidgey that had come to him for the last five years regularly.

"Oh Lindsey, another one," He murmured. He had a boxy full of letters he had numbered and put in order. _He_ had to admire her persistence. She had given him instructions to never write a reply until his charge was fit, and the reply was to come from _him_. He was allowed to read them of course, and every letter had something new. This one had a birthday picture of a bright-eyed little boy, who looked exactly like his father.

This first year of letters used to come with photographs in every delivery. They diminished as the years went by, but every year there was a birthday picture of the little tyke. He glanced at the wall as there was another groan and the sound of his head hitting the wall. _How_ the man slept through that kind of thrashing was beyond him. Will looked at the letter again and shook his head, he was asking about his father now, old enough to realize he was in a minority of children with only one parent. She wasn't sure what to do, his father was still with Team Rocket, and she knew no one would see him like she did. She knew he couldn't come around which at this point was impossible anyway.

Will finished reading, and placed it back into the envelope, then numbered it and tucked it into the box. Just in time too, as it seemed Mayhem had woken up, but he was anything but mayhem right now. Never was when his sleep was full of nightmares. Every time he came stumbling into the room, Will gauged his state. He was never looking very good.

But today… today might be right. There was nothing going on, it wouldn't matter if he sat in shock for a few hours, or a week. Right on cue, Mayhem stumbled in, and moments after came their breakfast; it paid to be in the higher ranks of team rocket.

"Where's Britt?" Mayhem asked, sinking sullenly into a chair and slumping over the table.

"She's working. You know she starts early." He said, sitting at the table and reaching for a plate. "Eat something. You're not going another day without eating." He grimaced at the murderous look coming up at him. "Don't look at me like that." He snapped, biting into an apple. Mayhem sighed and closed his eyes.

"I'm tired." He groaned.

"No shit Sherlock, you've been tossing all night. Got pretty violent a few hours ago." His reply was the other male rubbing his head, probably where he had hit it most. They sat in silence for the duration of Will's meal, before he finally got up to start his day, knowing his charge would skulk about all day long.

"She never forgot, you know. She didn't just leave without intending to ever contact." He said, throwing on his jacket. Mayhem blinked, looking up at the red-head. "There's a box of letters underneath my desk. Why she left might surprise you. Start with the one marked with the number 1. I've kept them in order for you for five years, only now seemed like a time you wouldn't lose your head. I'll see you later." He said, and left the room, leaving the other man to blink slowly and turn to eye the box sitting hidden in shadows.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen:

It had been three weeks since Eve had come to Pallet Town.

Gary sat watching the sun rise, frowning a little to himself. Ever since the strange young woman had come along, he had noticed things different about himself. He didn't stay up until three am, but he woke in time to watch the sun rise. It had taken nearly all of the three weeks, but the warmth no longer bothered him, instead it made him feel better, stronger.

Another odd thing was that he kept hearing strange voices, but whenever he turned to see who it was, there was only his Pokémon and the voices would cut off. It didn't happen just when he was outside either; it would happen while he was inside the house, or even in his own bedroom. He was beginning to fear he was schizophrenic. On another note, his appetite was coming back, as was the color in his skin.

Things he didn't notice about himself were his clothing choices. He wore his green and yellow necklace again, brown khakis and a purple shirt; and he was interacting more with all the Pokémon in the labs, not only his own. This was good for his Eevee, who was enjoying this new attention, and took every moment she got to cuddle up under his chin.

Sighing, Gary got up and stretched, moving for his closet where he shuffled through the clothes and got what he would wear that day, grabbing his towel and heading for the shower. His sister and grandfather were still having a hard time getting used to this very sudden change in behavior; when before he had deteriorated so slowly, he was now suddenly springing back to life. He ate much more than even the week before, was filling out, losing the pallor to his skin and was even joking again.

Because of this sudden change in the red head, Eve had practically been adopted by the small community of Pallet Town. She really seemed to be the miracle that they had prayed would come. The young woman had quickly gotten a job at the vet's, since she was so good with Pokémon. She often found herself paying very little at the market, and many of the older fisherman or gardeners would flirt playfully a little more with her than the other girls.

At first her appearance had been a little odd, there wasn't an Albino within 50 miles of the town as far as anyone knew, but the residents quickly grew used to her, and accommodated the slight handicaps that came with it. She didn't have a serious vision problem, but she did wear glasses now and then and sunglasses when she was out most of the time if it was real bright out. The cart owners would adjust their shades, or add an extra flap to help her out if the sun's glare was in a bad spot.

She was, most of all, becoming fast friends with the Oak's and Ketchum's. She, Daisy, and Misty had hung out a few times, where Eve had been fed all sorts of information nearly all at once: Daisy's new job, Misty and Ash expecting their first child since may, what events would be going on in town, etc.

-x-

Eve smiled fondly to herself as she walked one morning, She'd never had friends before. She was so glad she had decided to come to the small community. It was secluded, and most of the world hardly took notice of the place, even though the current Pokémon Master had originated here.

Today, she had let her long hair down, wearing shorts and a tee in wake of the summer heat. She was headed to the Oaks, as she often did on the weekend evenings. Zephyr darted around her feet with Gaia, occasionally running off and coming back with a treat or two in their mouth until they left the wharf area, where she lived and worked, and many of the shops behind. She sang softly to herself as she walked, reveling in the feeling of complete and utter peace. She had no reason to worry about anything here; everyone was so nice to her and looked out for her, all because her arrival to town was so timely to save the life of one of their most beloved members. She passed by Heather's house, seeing only the Persian laying out in the sun on the porch swing. She must be at the labs and her kids at home then. She liked Heather a lot. The woman was gentle and listened more than spoke, but when she did speak one simply had to listen.

Eve arrived at the Oak's, heading inside without knocking. Daisy insisted it was fine, and she was practically part of the family now. Dinner was already underway, and the blonde was nowhere to be found so the white haired young woman made her way outside to the labs. She heard noise from around one side of the building, and walked around to see Gary working.

This was the most physical work she had ever seen him do. He had a rope curled around both hands, one foot on the ground, another braced against a fence post, shirt off and a light sheen of sweat covering the exposed skin. His face was set as he pulled, raising a type of nest high into a tree.

Gary glanced over, seeing her out of the corner of his eye and nodded, looking away as she returned the gesture. Making eye contact didn't make him woozy anymore, as it did at first, but the same sensation of something warm spreading through him from his head to toes still remained, and he gave the rope in his hands and extra hard yank, raising the nest up the last few inches, and then working fast to tie it down and make sure it wouldn't slip.

"You're looking better today." Eve said as Gary straightened back up, reaching for his shirt.

"Thanks, feeling better." He said. "Daisy ran to the store real quick, Heather's still here though." The red head pulled his shirt back over his head, rubbing his hair.

"I'll go and find her. You should really get your hair cut you know, it's getting pretty long." Eve said, smiling. Gary looked up at his bangs.

"I suppose." He said, and walked off. Eve frowned. Despite the rapid changes this past month, he still expressed very little emotion. Pouting slightly, she headed into the labs, her Pokémon darting in after her.

"Moody, good for nothing, anti-social… Arrgh," She steamed, pouting furiously.

"Ah, venting about our resident depressed red head?" Eve blinked, looking up and seeing Heather coming into the main lobby, a box in her hands. Ninetails came trotting after her, a special pack slung over his back, a pouch on each side. She smiled at the brunette sheepishly.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I try to be friendly, but he doesn't seem to even realize _how_ to be more than… well, blah."

"I know it's aggravating Eve; especially since you haven't been around very long. You get used to him, and learn how to deal with it. I'm sure he'll come around soon." She set her box down and stretched. Eve smiled a little, scratching Ninetail's ears.

"I suppose. So how's your boyfriend doing?" She asked. Heather flushed bright red.

"Oh, he's fine. He travels so much he can only stop by now and then."

"And one heck of a shy guy; no one here has ever seen him, I hear." Eve smiled. "You really should try and get him to stop by sometime."

"Oh, I try and convince him, he's wary around new people." She said, turning back to her box so Eve couldn't see that she was lying through her teeth. He could actually be quite forward. Ninetails rolled his eyes and huffed, curling up.

"So how long did it take you two to start dating? And who asked who?" Eve asked; a pale eyebrow rose in good-humor teasing. Heather laughed.

"Oh, he asked me, but it took about a year." She smiled. "He was also trying to be sensitive to the fact that I am a widow, and didn't want to make me feel like he was trying to take my husband's place."

"Well that was nice of him." Eve smiled, Heather nodded in agreement.

"He is very thoughtful. He's hoping to take time off of work soon to come and visit, and look for a job that doesn't require him to move around so much - Oh!" The woman's knees buckled, and both she and Eve looked down to see Ninetails nudging her insistently. "Ninetails, what on ear-… oh. _Oh_, the time! I need to get going! I have to make sure the kids are packed for their sleep overs tonight! Goodbye Eve, nice to see you again!" Heather said, hugging Eve before she grabbed her bag and headed out the door. Ninetails trotted up to the young woman and nuzzled her in a type of hug, then trotted after Heather. Eve smiled and watched them go, petting Gaia as she snuggled in her lap.

She remained in the lab, chatting with Sam until Daisy called them up for dinner. It wasn't nearly so awkward now as it had been before when Gary would sit in silence and pick at his food. Now he ate, and actually participated in conversation a little. He was finding his voice again. No one thought he was going to die now, their hope had been restored. Even the object of their worry had begun to look on the brighter side of things. He watched Eve as she helped Daisy clean up and smiled slightly. There was something oddly familiar about her; he had sensed that from the beginning. Like they shared some sort of secret only two extremely close people would share. It was an odd feeling, but comforting at the same time. He turned away and headed up the stairs right when Eve turned her head that way, and watched his back and feet disappear. She had seen the look on his face, and knew she shared the same feeling of kinship with him. Perhaps getting close to him wouldn't be all that hard after all.

* * *

**Authors Notes:** Sorry for the late update, was going to try

an update all three of my active fics at once, but as on one i'm having trouble...

i figured it would just be best to update the two.

Hope you liked this one, Sorry if it seems a bit forced.

Was running out of ideas for things to happen and it was very short at that point,

so in an attempt to make it longer i kind of rambled.

I tried to smooth it over, not sure if it worked. I apologize for the dip in writing skills here ^^;;

hopefully you find the rest of the story hits or rises above the mark :)


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

_He couldn't believe how beautiful this place was. So peaceful, relaxing, nothing had ever disturbed the delicate balance here. Maybe a handful of scientists or two had ventured through here, and although it should make him nervous, he was pretty okay just taking his time and staying here for a while. _

_Currently, he was lying on his back, Umbreon and Pikachu sleeping on his chest (Eevee was who knew where, exploring the woods around them most likely) as he lay with his hands behind his head, chewing on a long, almost minty stalk of some wild plant he recognized from a book he had read on wild edible flora. The wind gusted through the trees, sending rippling patterns of sunlight through the branches and carrying the sound of the nearby stream to him. _

_After a moment, he gently shifted the pokémon from his chest and stood, deciding to head to the stream for a drink of water. He took his time, discarded the stem he was chewing on and fished around for a few more. He would have to get himself a new book, he thought as he peered at a cup like leaf before picking it. It would work for drinking out of and he could tell it wasn't any danger to use as a tool. _

_Smiling serenely to himself, he ducked through some foliage and looked around, before ducking down, swearing softly under his breath. His heart pounded nervously, he couldn't help himself, and slowly moved up to peer through the branches again. _

_There, waist deep in the water; was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She wasn't overly busty, but still sported an attractive curve to her body, accentuated by her hands being raised to run through her wet, waist length white hair. _

_He wondered where she had come from. No one had ever seen any kind of civilization out here, and she was far, far too pale to be native to the area where there were mostly darker skinned individuals, weather worn from sun and work. She was too fair to have done much work in her lifetime. Every part of her seemed delicate, right down to her fingertips. _

_Now, he liked to think he was a decent man, he never searched the internet for dirty things, or bought dirty magazines; but he couldn't help but stare, shifting awkwardly as a flush crept up to his face even as he mentally berated himself for not turning away immediately. However, He continued to watch in awe, stunned by her beauty. _

_Suddenly, everything shifted oddly. The light dimmed as if a cloud had passed over the sun, and neither of them moved. She still bathed, he still watched, entranced. Then an odd murk began to cloud the water. She paused, looked down and frowned. He also inspected the odd coloration, and he looked up as she stiffened in alarm, and then he heard it, the sound of fire crackling through the forest, and motors. _

_Motors…. Shit!_

_The color drained from his face and as she turned to flee for the banks, he burst from his hiding place as fire suddenly sprang up all around him, hindering catching up to the barefooted beauty who raced before the flames like a panicked Stantler. _

"_Wait! Wait! I can help!" He cried, but his words were swallowed by the fire. Somehow, he ended up running along a ravine, and as he looked up, he could see her above him. He stumbled as he ran along, keeping both his eyes on her. _

_An explosion rocked the forest floor, sending him face-first into the dirt, looking up as he heard a scream. She was falling. _

_Panicking now himself, he struggled to his feet and lunged forward in time to catch her, both his arms wrapping tightly around her slim frame as he fell on his back, and then scrambled to hide as all-terrain vehicles sped past. He watched as they did so, trembling with adrenaline as he tried to catch his breath before he looked down. _

"_It's alright, you're safe now." He said, shifting some of her hair out of her face. She looked up at him, trembling, large grey eyes wide with fright; she couldn't help but trust him, even if she didn't know if she could. He frowned, peering at her face, taking in the little details. _

"_Eve?"_

Gary woke with a start and gasping for air, feeling the sweat on his face. Chest heaving, he checked his pulse and tried to calm down, fumbling for his bedside lamp and his journal. He had started keeping one regularly since Eve had shown up, and it seemed to help a little. Eevee and Umbreon were watching him sleepily from the window, but lay back down when they deemed him alright.

The red head scribbled frantically as the dream began to fade away, clinging to the details best he could. The forest had been so familiar, and that was the one thing he could remember clearly. The woman bathing was faint, but there so he wasn't sure if that had been real or not. It was odd to him that the woman had been Eve in his dream, why, he wasn't sure but it made him uncomfortable. Another point of the dream that stayed with him was hiding in the crevice of the ravine as people drove past, whooping and hollering as they went. The longer he wrote, and the longer he thought on them, the more convinced he was that laying on his back under the trees, seeing the strange woman (it couldn't have been Eve at the time, he wondered who it had been), and hiding from the drivers were memories. It didn't hurt to think about them, and he could feel a slight tickle when he _did_ think about them; particularly the woman bathing. He flushed again and shook his head. Damnit he was turning into a perv! Well, more so than the average male was already. He looked down at the journal, and slid his fingers along the page as if to flip it, gazing at the bottom of his entry where he had sketched an image of her.

He thought about when she had fallen from the cliff, and a painful throb drummed in his head, making him double up, groaning and clutching his head. A bright light hurt his eyes, but since it was in his head, closing them couldn't help. He remembered driving down the highway near Pewter, the last memory he could recall without passing out. He saw the flashes of color like before but this time, everything went a little fuzzy as he turned in his seat to see what it was; the next clear image he had, he seemed to be in Cerulean leaning over the backseat of his car, a Pikachu and a shiny Eevee in his backseat both badly hurt. Then he remembered complete and utter rage at the smiling face of a blonde nurse at the Center, refusing him admittance with the badly wounded pokémon.

Gary didn't realize he had curled up into the fetal position on his bed until he felt Umbreon and Eevee licking his face and hands in worry. Trembling, he looked up, slowly uncurling himself. Who knew remembering would be so painful? He now had a pounding headache and just wanted to sleep again. He pet the pokémon, letting them cuddle under his chin for a moment before he crept from his room and headed downstairs, dug into the medicine cabinet and took a few painkillers, then returned to his room, jotted a few more things down, and turned off his light, letting his two pokémon snuggle into the blankets with him

* * *

**Authors Note:** So, here's another glimpse int Gary's past. I really feel I've done better this time around

and added a bit more confusion for him ;)

Very sorry about the late update, things are kinda crazy here at home and I've been little stressed.

Just haven't been in the story mood, i'm sure you know how that is.

Thanks again for reading! hope you are enjoying this as much as I am still :)


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

When morning came, and he still remembered, Gary was very reluctant to get up. He didn't think he could look at Eve without going red in the face. However, he was in a great mood. He could remember something! But then again, he wasn't sure he should share it; at least not all of it. Maybe lounging in the shade of the trees, but not the bathing woman or hiding in the cave. That would just raise questions and worry everyone. So, he decided not to tell anyone he had remembered anything at all.

He went about his normal morning routine; showered, dressed, and headed down the stairs for breakfast, which he was feeling more in the mood for every day. Because of the memories that had resurfaced, he was in a good mood, despite the confusion that came with them, and there was an extra bounce in his step.

This caught his sister off guard, and she was still staring at him as he came up to her and kissed her cheek. He hadn't done that in eight years. "Mornin' sis; heading out, not going to eat much, just going to grab a snack bar." He said, and reached over her head, grabbing one out of the box and headed outside.

Daisy blinked, getting ahold of herself in time to watch him walking to the labs, lunging at his Pokémon playfully as they darted around his feet, and the tears came on suddenly and unbidden. She had her brother back!

Meanwhile, Gary went about his chores with more enthusiasm than he had in nearly four years. He couldn't believe that the next summer was his four year anniversary of the accident; but that didn't bother him. He was mulling over the memory from the night before of the Pokécenter. He had remembered this scene before, possibly because it could be significant, but this was the first time he had remembered it so clearly and been able to hold onto it. These memories and the memories of Keegan he focused on, and had even been able to remember other things about the Ranger; such as he had stayed with the man for three weeks, hiding in the woods. That was why he knew so many of his little quirks. His head still hurt a little when he thought too much about the Pokécenter, but he was remembering more and more even as the day went on. The memory of arriving there was pretty solid, but after that there was the waiting for news on the condition of the two pokémon, and then just sitting with them. He had a vague memory of feeling ill that night, but he couldn't remember why. He had gotten a vaccination in case the pokémon had been carrying a virus, but that was confusing as he had never been allergic to any kind of shot before.

About noon, he was hauling some boxes out to the storage shed with Umbreon and Eevee playing out in the grass nearby, thinking over his memories again. Suddenly, an excited cry rang out, startling him into nearly dropping the boxes.

"_Eve!_"

Blinking, Gary looked around, the voice unfamiliar, and he caught sight of Eve rounding the corner, Eevee and Umbreon sprinting to her. She laughed, kneeling on the ground and speaking lowly to them, scratching their ears. Frowning, Gary backed into the supply shed and after he set the boxes down, walked back out scratching his own head in confusion. Who had called out?

"Hey, Gary; feeling pretty good today I hear?" the albino asked, walking up to him, a fox in each arm.

"Uh, yeah, actually," He said shuffling nervously, the dream still at large. Eve smiled.

"Good to hear." She said. "Anything I can help with today? I wasn't needed at the vet's, so I'm free this afternoon."

"No, not much," He replied, heading back to the labs. "I just put away the last of the things that came off the truck, and no new trainers are leaving for another three weeks." He said, opening the doors for her. Eve frowned.

"Isn't leaving home just a few months before winter starts a little dangerous?" She asked.

"Not really, there's a bank fund and inns in every town for trainers under 18 to spend the night in on cold nights. Some don't have fire pokémon to keep them warm, so many camp out in a single town through the winter and take the time to further bond with their pokémon."

"Then it works out? None of the kids get stuck out in the snow or anything?" She asked as they sat down at the front desk.

"Well sure they do. But each Pokédex has a homing device, and they are monitored during severe weather. Grandpa designed those just before we were old enough to go ourselves. He had been working on it for years though; the technology just wasn't there before." He said, leaning back in his seat. He wasn't sure why he felt so good, but he wasn't complaining. Eve smiled and shook her head as he blew a strand of hair out of his face idly.

"Stay there, I'm going to cut that mop down a few inches." She said; standing and rummaging around for some scissors.

"Wait, what?" He asked, twisting in his seat, watching her.

"You need your hair cut, its gotten way too long."

"My hair is fine!" He protested, spinning in his seat to watch her as she shifted through a desk drawer for the tool, and surfaced with one not long after.

"Well I don't see you moving, now just lean back, jeeze, I do mine all the time and it comes out alright." She said, standing behind his seat. He frowned at her, then sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head back.

"Alright alright…" He muttered. Eve shook her head and shifted his hair around a little before she started working. It was quiet other than the pokémon playing on the floor, both falling into a comfortable state of existence. The red head found himself nearly falling asleep as she worked; until she walked around in front of him, and leaned over, peering intently at his hair as she ran her fingers through it, an intense look of concentration on her face. He happened to open his eyes at that moment, and a sharp pain lanced through his head, making him flinch and moan, doubling up over his lap. Eve panicked, dropping the scissors and kneeling in front of him.

"Gary! Gary, you okay?" She cried, her delicate hands wrapping around his arms as he shook his head. Several things were running through his head at once. Nights of lying sick in a cave, tent or some crude shelter as he tried to care for himself, feeling as if he was burning from the inside out; and again, he saw her face, the strange young woman he remembered from before caring for him as he lay there helpless and afraid of dying.

It took a few minutes, but the fit passed, and he was able to relax again albeit breathing heavily and sweating still. Eve had run to get a cool compress, and was holding this to his head while wiping the sweat away.

"Is it over?" She asked. "Do you need anything?" He looked at her, her expression making his head throb a little more. Why was it so familiar to him?

"Yeah, just some pain killers." He managed to get out. He needed a moment to himself, really. She nodded and headed to the medicine cabinet, thankfully down a small hall in the bathroom. He took this short time to run his hands through his now short hair, trying to make sense of these new memories. He couldn't think much beyond a few hazy memories through the sickness, as it hurt too much, although he could tell that they were spaced apart, as if several weeks had gone by between each one.

Eve came back with the pills and some water, hesitating only a moment when she saw the look in his eyes. It was unlike any she had seen in the month or so she had now been there, as if he was trying to decipher her simply by watching her. It made her nervous, but not in a bad way. This confused and excited her all at once. The albino handed the red head the glass of water and pills, and sat beside him as he took them, a silent agreement not to mention this to anyone else hanging between them.

-x-

Excited chatter ran through the room, people greeting others they had not seen for a while, talking about what they had been doing, who they had been watching. Exciting news and sad recollections were told. Everyone seemed to know each other quite well, as if they were one large family, and each person wore the same, identical black, white, blue and gold uniform, and each had a particular pokémon beside them.

A freckled red head and a brunette walked in together, the differences on their jackets were the purple stripes and the reaction was immediate. The rest saluted them, and they saluted back before the mass majority went back to their conversations.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that, Liberty…" The red head muttered. Liberty smiled, shoving her brother playfully.

"Oh, eventually you'll have to, Equality." She said. "Looks like Freedom and Independence were even able to make it." She smiled, waving across the room at the two oldest members, a man and a woman, the man with snow white hair that stuck out as if he had been shocked, and a kind looking woman, her peppered white hair pulled into a bun. They nodded back and returned to whispering.

"Justice and Deliverance make it yet?"

The siblings turned to see X behind them, Honesty on his arm, her Persian at her side, purring happily.

"Nope, not yet; they're nearly here though with the new guy." Equality said. X nodded and looked around.

"Good, everyone made it." He smiled, his hand reaching to his shoulder to pat a fuzzy orange and white head as it popped up.

"_Vee?_" It blinked, looking around, and then clambered up to his head, making him laugh.

"Easy there, your claws are sharp!" He said, pulling him down.

"That's why I've repeatedly told you to get his nails trimmed." came a voice from behind him. X turned and grinned.

"Ah, Justice, made it finally eh?"

"Yeah, was a little difficult getting Integrity and Deliverance away, but we managed it." The curly haired blonde said. A shiny whooper was perched on his shoulder, peering about curiously. Deliverance was beside him, her Vaporeon at her feet. X looked beyond them at the new Integrity, shifting awkwardly, picking at his fresh uniform, his Chatot on his shoulder also looking as if he felt out of place.

"Nice to have you here, Integrity" He said, holding out his hand to shake "Your willingness to assist us is appreciated. There's going to be a lot you probably won't accept right away, but it'll all makes sense eventually."

"Yeah, that's what Justice and Da-Deliverance said." He smiled, shaking hands. "Nice to meet you too, X, right?"

"Yep," X grinned. Integrity frowned.

"Why X?"

"You'll see in a moment." Justice said and stepped forward. Again, all eyes were on this purple stripe bearing member.

"All members of Operation Anthem are now present, at least I hope, because I'm getting this thing started. Please take your seats, there's much we have to discuss." He said. Excited murmurs ran through the members as they took their seats, X and Honesty leading Integrity to his, right beside Honesty's as Justice, Deliverance, Liberty, and Equality took theirs at the front facing the rest, Freedom and Independence on either side of the four.

"Now, the first and most important, we must remember Keegan Evo, one of the bravest men I've ever known. He took on Agent Mayhem of Team Rocket on his own and although he perished, he kept our goal in mind. He kept _her_ safe. We will always remember his bravery." There was a voice of agreement around the room, and the new Integrity looked a little green, swallowing.

"It took some time, but now we have found a man who's enough of an idiot to join us other morons in this mission of ours." He grinned, and a ripple of laughter ran around the room, making Integrity smile. "Integrity, please stand."

All eyes moved to him, and the blonde stood slowly. Each person saluted to him in greeting, and, still new to everything, he saluted back awkwardly.

"Thank you, all of you." He said. "Keegan was a dear friend of mine, and I'm honored to take up his task where he left off. I can only hope I can live up to his, well, Integrity." He smiled, and the rest laughed. Justice grinned and after everything settled down, he stood instead.

"Down to business everyone." He said. "Let's brief Integrity on what's happened thus far, and X has requested that we all know something very unique not only to him, but _her_, and now _h__im_ as well. X, please step forward." X stood and moved to the center of the room, Integrity glad he was not the only puzzled one. X explained his findings, his and her history, and although he still saw confused faces, he smiled.

"It'll be easier if I just show you." He said, and closed his eyes. Moments later, shouts sounded and people leapt out of their seats either in shock or amazement. Integrity, however, gripped the table going deathly pale.

"Oh dear God…."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I apologize for the very, very long wait.

Life kind of took over for awhile, and been busy since _last _November planning my wedding _this_ November!

Hopefully i can update regularly again and finish this for those who are enjoying it :)


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two

Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair. How Keegan had done everything he had and still had time for a secret life, he had no idea. There was so much paperwork now, and on top of that, Luke had gone missing, and no trace of him had been found for over a month now.

Last anyone knew, he had raged through Keegan's old files and even the cabin, then retrieved Crank, and stormed off; presumably in search of Keegan's killer or the mysterious group he had belonged to. He groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. He was keeping close tabs on the rest of the rangers now; he didn't want to lose anyone else.

Moments later, there came a soft knock on the door and he righted himself, brushing his bangs back to their normal place.

"Come in." He said, rifling through the top papers of the stack on the desk, and Melody walked in. She had mousy brown hair, light brown eyes and was a good two heads or so shorter than him. He managed a smile for this tiny woman.

"Morning Melody." He said as she smiled in return.

"Morning Jack," She replied "Little early for that face, isn't it?" She asked, setting a new folder down on the desk.

"Well there's a lot to do, and everything I do ends up replaced the next day." He said, nodding to the paperwork she had brought. She laughed lightly.

"You'll get used to it. Keegan paced himself somehow, not sure what all he did." She said. "I can get you a coffee if you'd like." The blonde ranger gave her a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Melody, that'd be great." He said.

"It's no problem Jack. If you need anything, give me a page." She said and turned to leave, closing the door behind her. Jack blinked, finding himself staring after her for a few moments longer than ordinary. Shaking himself out of it, he returned to his work. He was much too old now for relationships.

Meanwhile, time had passed quickly in Pallet Town.

Gary and Eve never again spoke of the incident in the Labs, and conversation between anyone always steered clear of Gary's amnesia; of this, Gary was doubly glad. He didn't want to talk about it, especially not with Eve. He still puzzled over who the mystery woman had been, and he had taken to meditating late at night when others were fast asleep, and occasionally, he could remember something. He would jot this down before he forgot, and he could usually remember it again when he read it in the morning. Other times it took a little longer.

He concentrated on the happy things, relaxing in those woods, staying at Keegan's cabin for three months, and finally gaining the trust of the Eevee and the Pikachu he remembered from the dream in the woods. It also troubled him that he had no idea what had happened to either of the pokémon. Sometimes he would sit staring at Umbreon who stared back, a novel floating between them, only he couldn't read it.

He also wrote about the voices he heard. Usually fleeting, when he was alone; He would hear them in the morning, typically when he slept late, when someone was approaching from behind him, or occasionally when he was relaxing in the small field beside the labs. He didn't tell anyone about these. It would only concern them. He had caused them so much worry already; he didn't want to worry them more.

Recently, he had been poking fun at both Ash and Eve. Ash was used to it, and came back at him with gusto, having missed nearly eight years of this banter. Eve was new to this, especially since Gary had been so listless at first that this new side of him was strange to her. It took a few weeks, but she was used to it by the end of October.

Ash began to tease Gary about flirting with her.

Gary assured his longtime friend that it was merely playful banter between friends.

Ash would then roll his eyes and draw out the word, using his hands as visual reference.

Gary would then kick him out of the house.

Over the last few weeks, the Oaks had learned a lot about their new friend. She came from a small town in the Sinnoh region, where her parents had been extremely strict due to her condition. She had run away at a young age, and made it to the Johto region by public transportation before she finally ran out of her meager funds and food supply. It had been cold, so she couldn't forage like she had been used to.

It was here that she had met Zephyr. He had come out of the bushes, watching the tiny, terrified girl trying to stay warm under a tattered blanket she had brought from home. He had watched her, then vanished and come back with berries and they had been together ever since. He had allowed her to finally fight in battles and earn some money that helped her to afford better food and shelter, and also began to build her own Pokémon team; she had been living like this since then.

Out of all this, Gary was most amazed that Zephyr had never been caught, yet he allowed her to bestow a nickname upon him, and fought beside her. He was free to leave at any moment, but had spent ten years with her. Umbreon, he was sure would still be his companion if he released him, Eevee; well she might only because she knew no other life. She had had no choice in which she had been given to. She seemed to like him well enough, however.

The red-head scratched behind her ears as he thought about this. She seemed happy enough.

"You'd stick with me, wouldn't you?" he asked her as she cooed happily, her ears twitching as she moved her head. "If you had never seen the inside of a pokéball, you'd still be with me?" a happy "_Veeeeee…._" Was his only reply as she practically oozed on his lap, legs hanging on either side of his lap as he rubbed her back, her fur soft and silky to the touch.

He smiled and laughed a little. Umbreon was currently hanging over his shoulders, dead to the world as he watched TV; currently a recording of a match Ash had had earlier that year. He was pounding the other trainer, badly. His opponent had no connection to his pokémon at all, so it was no surprise he lost, and fast.

Not long after the end of the match, Eve poked her head into the living room, right by his head.

"Hey Gary, Daisy just got a call, and there's going to be a Halloween party for the older folks of town to attend if they want. You gonna come?" He looked up at her, his head going fuzzy again. This was a common occurrence, and tunnel vision would follow, to where he could only see her.

"Yeah, sure" He grinned. "There a theme?"

"Mmhmm, Shiny Pokemon." She laughed.

"Shinies, huh; eh, I'll go as Quillava." Gary said, turning back to the TV. Eve blinked.

"Just like that?" she asked "Not going to think about your options? You have plenty."

"Yeah, but my hair is already red, makes it easy. You have quite a few yourselves, why are you stressing?"

"I'm not stressing!" She protested, stepping into the room looking as flustered as Eevee did when Gary hid her toy. He grinned up at her.

"You certainly seem flustered to me." He smirked with a wink. Eve flushed bright red and whapped him with a pillow snatched quickly from the arm chair.

"Ohh, you; I don't know _what_ I'm going to do with you!" She paused, assessed his wider smirk, and went even redder "Damnit Gary! That's not what I meant!" She cried, only making Gary laugh loudly, waking Umbreon who blinked and looked at them blearily before huffing and snuggling back down.

"You're too easy to tease, Eve." He laughed. He reached up and tweaked her nose. "Catch you at dinner." Eve squeaked and backed up; rubbing her nose and glaring before she turned on her heel, grumbling. Gary watched her go, smiling softly. He couldn't help but tease so timid a woman. He couldn't quite believe that over a month had already gone by, and that he was doing so much better, aside from the voices and nightmares. He owed her his life.

He felt a paw on his cheek, making him laugh lightly and look down at Umbreon yawning in his face. He reached around and lifted the pokémon up by his middle holding him above his face. "I'm a mess, aren't i?" He asked his longtime friend, and received a bop on the nose. Gary laughed and scooped Eevee off his lap, and headed up the stairs to place them in their basket and to write in his journal.

* * *

**Authors** **Note: **Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)

I have about 20 chapters in stock, so you'll get regular updates for awhile

but unless i get past my current writers block that's gonna dwindle quickly :/


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three

"C'mon Eve; we're gonna be late and Daisy still wants to take the picture!"

Hair spiked and colored orange and red, Gary stood at the base of the stairs in maroon pants and jacket, and a cream tee-shirt for his costume. He was grinning as he said this, having been pestering the albino for the entire time she had been getting ready.

"Damnit, Gary, if you don't shut up, I swear I am going to shove something up your –"

"Ah, ah, ah; that's not a lady like thing to say!" Gary interrupted, his eyes glittering with mirth as Eve gave a frustrated growl, barely concealing her smile. He was irritating, but she enjoyed the banter. It had taken time for them to warm up to each other because of his depression, but once he had snapped out of it, she had to say, he was her best friend.

"Just go sit down, I won't be much longer. Two seconds, tops!" She called down the stairs, sliding a headband with a set of ears attached on. She heard him say something, but ignored it as she fussed with her hair to hide the band, then nervously dusted off her skirt. She frowned at her reflection, and then looked to the side where Eevee and her Espeon, Gaia, were sitting and watching.

"How do I look you two?" She asked. Gaia looked her over a few times, and then closed her eyes; tail flicking happily as she called out softly. Eevee was a little more baffled that a human could go from being human, to looking like a pokémon. Her ears were straight up, and her tail quivering in curiosity. Eve laughed and patted them both. "Alright, let's go downstairs." She said, and they didn't need telling twice. They trotted out before her and down the stairs. Eve followed slowly. She'd never worn anything this feminine, and was nervous showing so much.

When Eve rounded the corner of the stairwell dressed in a white mini skirt, stockings, long-sleeves, and dress shoes to create the image of an Eevee, complete with ears and fluffy tail, and turned to the living room where the gang was seated on the couch and where Ash was bugging Gary again; two things happened. The first, everyone fell silent; and the second, Gary began to waver as his eyes grew wide, before he promptly passed out.

The moment she had turned to face them, Gary had turned to look, and immediately several images had flashed through his mind. The mystery woman bathing in the river, a white Eevee that she represented at the moment so well, and the last was something he had had trouble with from the start. It was a scene from the crash. It only flashed, but he knew he was pinned, the car was on fire, and he was shoving a bag away from him, his bag with the pokéballs in it. He saw Umbreon, Eevee, and the odd Pikachu, each one trying to get to him, but he was yelling at them to get away, pain lacing through his side with each cry even as he tried to free himself from the wreckage. Just before the explosion, he had looked back at the woods the pokémon had vanished in, and saw someone who appeared eerily similar to Eve.

This last bit was what caused his blackout.

When he came too, there was the now familiar image of Eve's worried face above his, Ash, Daisy, and his grandfather over him also. He could catch a glimpse of Brock, May, and Max beyond, who had decided to come and visit; leaving Delia and Misty somewhere he couldn't see.

"My hair ok," He managed to groan after a moment of blinking to set his vision straight. Eve started laughing, relieved, and trying to keep the tears from falling.

"Of course!" she cried "He passes out, hits his head and the first thing he thinks of is his hair!" The rest followed her in laughter as Ash helped Gary sit up, then onto the couch where he could get his bearings back and wait for the dizzy spell to pass. Eve fussed over him alongside Daisy while he tried to convince the two women he was fine. Brock and Ash shared a raised eyebrow look and smirked, both shaking their heads as they were calmed and Gary was left a little room to breathe, laughing all the while himself.

After the fuss died down some more, Daisy got them all sat on the couch and ran to set up her camera, the large leaves of her skirt to the Bellossom costume rustling as she went. Eve was seated beside Gary, and still smiling from the incident, she noticed an odd scent. It was oddly familiar, and when she tried to place it, she was guided to turn to the red-head and noted his cologne was suddenly much stronger, mixed with another scent, one she hadn't smelled before. Her smile faltered for a moment, long enough for Gary to turn and notice, his own fading from his face until Daisy came hurrying back to the couch and settled herself beside her grandfather. The pair averted their eyes, and scrambled to find their smiles again in time for the picture.

Gary watched Eve stand after the flash, turning from him quickly so he couldn't make sense of her expression. By the time he could see her pale face again, she had recovered herself, leaving him hanging and wondering. He wouldn't get out of her that night what had bothered her so.

Gary was spared any questions about his searching looks at Eve as they entire party was currently trying to leave the home to pile into three different cars. He had to be guided to one slowly and gently by Eve; still deathly afraid of the contraptions. It was a nerve wracking, five minute ride to the hall, by the end of which the red-head fairly flew from the confines to get some air. Eve walked over, her tail swishing with her hips. She knelt beside him as he sat breathing heavily, shaking.

"You going to be okay?" She asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, just have to catch my breath. I feel like I'm suffocating in those, burning up. I hate it." He didn't say, but every memory he had uncovered that dealt with the explosion had resurfaced the moment he had thought about getting in had hit him full force. It had made his entire body seize up and almost freeze. He could have sworn he'd pass out, feeling close to it the entire time, yet he had somehow remained on his feet, figuratively speaking.

Eve sat rubbing his back until he could stand again, and they entered the hall together.

It was safe to say whoever had set the party up had completely decked out the hall. There was everything from streamers and balloons to little bobbing pokémon toys in the punch bowls. Tables lined the walls, leaving the center of the floor for those who wanted to dance. The young DJ of the town was stationed at the far end, his Exploud beside him helping to get the music out, content to laze about on stage and be patted by his trainer.

Gary whistled at the sight. "Dang, they really went all out!" He said. Eve nodded her eyes wide with excitement. She had never been to anything like it in her hard life. Gary looked down at her and smiled at her expression. She looked like Eevee did when she knew you had a new toy for her, all ridged and trembling, waiting for the first excuse to go running around in joy. _Like a kid in a candy store._ He thought fondly. "Come on, Eve, let's go get something to eat, I'm feeling a bit light headed still." And he tugged her off in the direction of the food tables. She followed him, and they sat with the others munching for a bit until they wandered off one by one to either dance or mingle; thus leaving Eve by herself for a time, simply watching.

Ash and Misty came by again awhile later, Misty sitting with a sigh, her belly covered in an egg shaped cardboard tucked into a pouch having dressed up as Chansey.

"Taking a break you two?" the albino asked.

"Yes, we are." Ash said, grinning.

"The baby likes this a little too much." Misty added, rubbing her stomach behind the cardboard. "Keeps kicking." Eve laughed.

"Well, I guess you can expect a mover then." She smiled. The expectant parents feigned despair at the same instant, but were smiling. They were eager to see their child. They made small talk for a few minutes, and then fell silent, watching Gary interacting with some of the other townsfolk on the dance floor.

"I wanted to thank you Eve." Ash said after a moment, startling her into looking at him.

"For what Ash?" She asked, confused. He nodded to the red head 'shuffling' and then doing a spin, ending up facing the table, winking, then going back to flirting with a girl and faking fighting over her with her boyfriend, all three laughing hysterically.

"For Gary, for bringing him back to us."

"Oh Ash, I didn't –" Eve began to protest, going red in the face.

"But you _did_, Eve." Ash smiled. "Gary and I… we had our differences when we were younger, but as we got older, matured, we became much closer. It's been about eight years now since I've seen him like this. Before he had simply vanished for five years, and then he's been barely surviving for three. What you seem to have done, it means so much more to any of us than I think we could ever express, or you could ever realize." The dark haired young man smiled at her, then reached across the table to ruffle her hair. "So thank you." Ash and Misty stood up, Misty giving her a hug, and then moved on, Eve hardly able to respond in her slight state of shock. How had she been able to help Gary? It had just been a case of good timing… that's all.

She was still trying to puzzle over this when Gary came by, snatching up her cup of punch, grinning as she leapt to try and save it.

"Hey!" She cried out, frowning at him.

"Aww, here, I left you some!" the red head said, holding out the cup meekly, but she could see the laughter in his eyes. She rolled hers and shoved his hands away, resisting the urge to hold on at the warmth in them.

"Oh, I'm used to you by now." She laughed, standing. "I'll just get myself some more." Gary got half out of his seat, having intended to replace the cup he had snatched, but she shooed him back. He sat back down, frowning, and then grinned.

"Betcha ya can't make any more guys drop in a faint tonight!" He crowed after her. She rolled her eyes again, sauntering across the dance floor, hips swinging as she went. Gary found himself entranced, watching her as he hadn't planned on watching her, among the number of other young men craning their heads to get a look at this beauty. He was smirking in amusement by the time she got back, two cups of punch in her hands.

"Well, you didn't make them _faint_." He pointed out. Eve laughed, taking a drink and looking back out over the town's people she had come to know and love. She jumped a little as a few minutes later; her hand was taken in a pair of larger hands, warm and comforting. She looked and saw Gary holding them; his expression was different, soft. She felt a light blush coming to her face, her hand curling around his gently.

"Thank you." He said quietly, just loud enough for her to barely hear him. And then he was gone, back out to goof off and regain his composure, leaving her slightly breathless. She knew he hadn't been talking about the untouched cup of punch still sitting where he had been not long before.

* * *

**Authors Note:** This was one of my favorite chapters in the first version.

I love goofy Gary


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four

It was a warm day, for November. It was bright, sunny, not a cloud to be seen in the sky and a nice salty breeze blowing in off the sea.

Gary paused in his work to gaze out over the sparkling expanse of water he could glimpse from where he was located, on the lab roof hoisting a strange looking nest high on the corner for a new bird species his grandfather hadn't acquired yet. It was finicky apparently and liked its privacy as it accustomed to a new home.

He had just had a monthly exam by Dr. Scott, and had been deemed nearly to full-health in just a few short months. He was taking vitamin supplements with his morning meal, along with a protein shake. He felt completely fine, but he supposed the doctor knew better and followed the loose diet regime. He had grown used to the many things that at first had worried him.

He spent much more time outdoors, and no matter how much sun he got, he never seemed to burn, tan, or get dehydrated. He sometimes felt like a plant, taking in the warmth for energy as a task became too difficult.

He still heard the voices, but they no longer concerned him. They were friendly, eager, excited, and he used them to know when someone was coming or even how the Pokémon in his the labs were faring.

Now, ever since the Halloween party, there had been something simmering under the surface, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He and Eve never acted any different, but thinking of her brought a smile to his face even now as he hoisted the nest a little higher, gauging where it needed to be on his own. They acted no different around each other, perhaps aside from a few extra quips and pokes here and there. He still refused to admit they were flirting. Unconsciously, he began glancing towards the front of the house like clockwork at 4:30, the time she could usually be seen walking up the pathway.

Sure enough, not long after he looked away to keep working, did she turn the corner of their street and walk towards the house, Zephyr and Gaia on her heels, trotting along happily. The albino hummed happily, her heart flying. Going to the Oak's always put her in such a great mood, even though she couldn't place why, she simply figured that she had always been so welcome there that it was a place that made her extremely happy.

As per routine, she walked around the house to the labs, looking up at the roof to see Gary still at the corner, frowning as he tried to gauge just where to let the nest hang. This was a sight she was used to now, Gary working around the labs, most of the physical labors coming from his efforts. However, today, she flushed, and completely flustered by the sight of him shirtless and shining with the effort of his work, she scurried inside to cool down. Heather was inside, unfortunately, and smiled. She thought she knew the reason for Eve's flustered appearance, but slyly skirted the subject.

"Hot out there, huh?" She asked, handing the younger woman a wet towel. "A beautiful Indian Summer Day." Eve nodded.

"It is; I don't know how Gary works out in it." She said as she fanned herself for show, thinking the other woman had missed the true reason for her appearance. The rag felt good though, and she was calming down.

"Oh, young men have a sort of endurance, I think." Heather said absentmindedly as she filed a few things away. Eve watched her for a moment.

"You seem a little distracted today." She said, concerned. Heather looked up.

"Do I? Oh I'm sorry, going out tonight; my boyfriend is taking me to Celadon for dinner." Eve smiled.

"Oh is he?" She asked, drawing out the words. Heather flushed and laughed.

"Oh I doubt it's anything like that, it's our anniversary, that's all." She said. Eve giggled, smiling.

"Well you never know!" She smiled. Heather shook her head.

"I suppose, but right now, I'm not so sure. There are so many things going on now that I don't believe it would be wise to get engaged. His work has taken a rather busy turn; he's coming by less and less, though he scrounges for the time to visit and even talk." She sighed sadly. Eve frowned.

"So he hasn't been able to leave his job yet?" She asked. The other woman shook her head.

"No, they have him working overtime. Sometimes I wonder if they hadn't caught wind of his intentions."

"Maybe they did." Eve frowned. "You said he's one of their best." Heather smiled as Gary walked in, his shirt slung over his shoulder.

"Yes, well, he is." She smiled. "It's just unlucky I guess."

"Hey girls," Gary said, walking up behind Eve before she had a chance to reply to Heather. He ruffled the albino's hair, making her protest loudly and tried to duck away from him unsuccessfully.

"Ew, Gary, you are sweaty and gross! Get away!" She squealed. He laughed, and Heather glanced at the time, smiling.

"Well you two, I better get home and ready for my date. See you tomorrow!" The other two said their farewells and waved. After a moment, Eve looked up at the red head as he leaned on the front desk.

"So, ready for your birthday tonight?" She asked, smiling. He shrugged.

"I suppose, still think you are all going overboard." He said, rather embarrassed. For his twenty-ninth birthday; the group had decided to take him out. He knew it was because they had had very little to celebrate in the last three to four years, but he would have rather they not made a big deal out of it.

"Oh, relax and have some fun." She said, standing. "Better shower, stinky or you won't be ready!" She said, heading out the doors. Gary smirked.

"Stinky, am I?" He asked, and Eve paused, looking over her shoulder at the man advancing on her. She shrieked and ran from the lab laughing, Gary right behind her, catching the small woman just as she reached the back door to the house and giving her a hug, lifting her off her feet and backing into the house, both laughing. He set her down and went to go up the stairs to shower, but didn't make it before she grabbed his shirt, rolled it up and snapped it at his butt, making him yelp and jump, nearly losing his balance, grabbing the railing just in time. She tossed his shirt into his face and headed for the kitchen as he continued on his way up the stairs. Daisy was currently there, as usual, adding the finishing touches to a cake. She smiled at Eve as she sat at the table.

"Gary's in a good mood today I take it?" She asked. Eve laughed again.

"Yeah, I'd say so." She smiled.

"Good." She smiled back. "So, when is your birthday, Eve?" She asked, finally shedding her apron setting aside the cake decorating tools.

"Oh, next spring, I'll be twenty seven." She said. Daisy fairly shone in excitement.

"Oh! I'll have to plan something!" She said excitedly, making Eve laugh. Daisy was a very 'put-together' woman in her thirties, but she tended to act much, much younger when it came to something like this. She loved to plan parties to make others happy, and also had a strong mothering instinct. This had driven her to no end of stress these last four years as Gary was wasting away, and all her efforts seemingly in vain. Her mood had much improved after Eve had arrived and Gary had made a turn for the better, and she had finally been taken off the depression medication that very few knew she had been on.

Eve flushed in embarrassment, however, at the ideas springing from the other woman. "You don't have to go through the trouble, Daisy, really." She said, flushing bright red.

"Nonsense; it's your birthday! You probably haven't celebrated it in years." She quipped. Eve nodded after a moment. It was true. She'd barely been able to keep track of it actually. "Now come on, I have a dress for you; let's go see if it fits." Daisy said, and rather than be dragged a long, Eve went willingly.

Several hours later, Gary was lounging against the wall to the stairs in black dress pants and a black, button down dress shirt open at the top. He'd forgone the tie to be a little more casual, his last little rebellion to his birthday party in Pewter. He enjoyed the gesture, but was still self-conscious about everything that had happened. This was more than just a birthday party, it was a celebration for making it there, and for the guarantee of his survival with the return of his health; frankly, it made him uncomfortable.

He looked up the stairs as Eve and Daisy came around the corner, Daisy first in a modest gown, nothing too fancy. Eve was next in much the same kind of dress. It had a deep blue skirt that went to her waist, and a white blouse with slightly puffy short sleeves tucked into the skirt, accentuating her waist. Her hair was down, tied back loosely with a pale blue ribbon. He had to catch himself from staring too long and had managed to compose himself in time as Daisy turned, and Eve's attention moved from her to him and as Samuel came around the corner. Their grandfather took his sister's arm and Gary offered a smile to Eve as he offered his arm to her. She smiled and took it.

"You look nice. Daisy always was good at that." He said. "Real fashionista there," He teased, grinning. Eve laughed.

"Thanks, she whipped this up in no time at all." She picked at the pleats in the long skirt. "You're going to be okay, right? This car ride is going to be a lot longer than the one on Halloween, and you'll be doing it twice." She said, worried. He frowned, but nodded after a minute.

"I think I'll be alright." He said. He'd been sitting in cars repeatedly, nearly every day, just trying to be able to stand them again. He never would drive again, but he would eventually be able to ride in one with no problem. Eve looked at him skeptically, but let him help her into the car, and then she helped him as Samuel drove to the restaurant. Gary sat with his head back, eyes closed as Eve rubbed his shoulders. It took him a minute to get out on his own, stubbornly making sure Eve stayed where she was so he could get her door, and she nearly laughed at the role reversal again, but merely smiled as he used her as a stable point to be able to walk. He had his bearings again as they entered the building, Brock, May, and Max waiting for them, Max with a pretty little blonde on his arm. The twenty one year old was quite proud of his girl, she was shy, but had a brilliant brain.

The large party was guided through the busy restaurant to private party room, and Gary began to relax. Max's girl was quiet, and flushed brightly as Gary teased.

"So Sophie, treatin' Max right?" He winked, making the girl flush bright cherry red. "Sorry, sorry, I shouldn't have made the joke so, what kind of Pokemon do you have?" he asked. He and Eve were sitting closest to the young couple. After Sophie had taken a few gulps of water and the blush had faded she answered.

"A Liepard," She replied. "Raised him from when he was an egg." She smiled.

"He mostly naps with Snorlax while we're working." Max said, taking a bite of his food, Sophie nodded in agreement.

"I'm afraid he is quite lazy." She smiled. Gary smiled.

"Nothing wrong with that" He said. "All we can do is make sure our friends get the love and comfort they deserve." Eve smiled, nodding. Her own team was currently lounging in the labs vast habitats. And thus eased into the company, Sophie began to open up more, much to Max's enjoyment. Sophie was clever, and was soon quipping back and forth with Gary, who congratulated Max at the end of the night for his catch.

The ride back home was much the same for Gary as the ride there, with the added unfortunate bonus of an upset stomach, that he insisted would only be cured by walking Eve home when she refused a ride from Samuel. They walked down the streets in content silence, the fresh sea air really helping to calm Gary's nervous stomach. They began talking about the night, Max's girl, and Gary's presents which included anything from a new Pokégear to a pair of glittery boxers as a joke from Ash. They laughed, smiled, and acted normal, though they each felt the underlying surge of electricity in the air around them in their subconscious, largely ignoring it in their conscious minds. They reached her apartment finally, and he stood watching her as she fished through the small purse Daisy had let her borrow for her keys. When she turned to face him, he hugged her.

"See you tomorrow. Glad you had fun tonight." He smiled. She rolled her eyes.

"I should be saying that to you. It was your birthday party." She laughed.

"So? That doesn't mean I can't be concerned about the people around me." He grinned. "I'm not _that_ stuck up." Eve smiled at him, shaking her head.

"Alright, see you tomorrow." She said. He nodded, and reached up, making her pause. "What?" She asked, suddenly feeling the charge in the air.

"I just, want to see it down again." He said softly, the grin gone from his face, and another expression had replaced it, but she couldn't tell just what it was. He reached around her and pulled the ribbon loose, letting her hair tumble about a bit to its normal place around her shoulders. He ran his hand through a lock, watching as if puzzled and entranced all at once. She couldn't look away. Next moment, he was backing away, closer than she remembered him being, and she swore she saw a flush in his cheeks. "See you tomorrow; night." He said awkwardly, waving as he turned for home. Eve nodded, her voice having fled. She brought her fingers to her lips, still warm from his breath, and realized he was still holding her ribbon as he walked away.

* * *

**Authors Note:** Another chapter i liked to do :) particularly for the end. I do hope

that Gary's condition and reactions are believable, and not too far fetched

or softened up. Hope you, whoever's still reading this (since my updating has gone haywire...) is still enjoying the story :)


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five

The light of a street lamp sent a soft glow through the shades, barely enough to light her hand before her face. The clock was on the other side of her sleeping lover, so she couldn't see the time. She hadn't slept yet, simply enjoying being held in his arms, one of the things that made her happiest.

She had been sent here by Justice, simply to weasel her way in and possibly be able to monitor their targets, get a good idea on how they were. Honesty was getting busier, the pair was beginning to branch out, and they needed more eyes.

Within two weeks of working at Brock's Breeding Center, she had met and fallen in love with Max. Young as he was, he was mature beyond his years, but seemed to lack the knowledge of being young in the drive to lean as much as he could, so she got him out more. In the four weeks since they had met, he had become the leader of the two, and she contentedly slipped to his side and slightly behind him.

And now, as she was sure he was sleeping, she gently lifted herself from his arms to peer at the clock, reading 2 am. Gently kissing Max's sleep rumpled hair and slid from bed, sliding a silky robe about her that matched the nightdress she wore and padded from the room to the balcony outside. She fished around a potted plant and brought out a small pack. This she opened to retrieve a small cell phone. She sat down in the warm breeze, unusual for this time of year, and dialed a number she knew by heart.

"Justice," sounded a male's voice, slightly distracted, and no doubt judging by the keys clicking in the background.

"Will always serve the deserving," She replied with a smile. "Justice, its Sovereignty."

"Ah! Our little daisy in the mountains, how's it going? Is he treating you right?" Sovereignty laughed. She had to be the youngest member and was doted on.

"Yes, he is. We had a great time tonight, He seems in right order, was teasing me all night. They seem to be getting closer." She smiled, picking at the hem of her robe. Justice smiled at the other end of the line.

"Brilliant; teaming together like they were before. This is good, good news, thank you."

"So things are calming down?" She asked.

"A little; I'm going to have some time to myself, go out and wander, may even head to the League for a little fun."

"Who is going to monitor everything you do?" She asked.

"Split between the twins, Integrity and Equality. Don't worry little flower, everything will be fine."

"Okay, I better get back inside before he wakes up. I hope to have a better report for you next time."

"Don't stress too much about the report." Justice said, and then turned serious. "You're a little young to be sharing beds, eh?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Good bye Justice, Tell Deliverance I said hi." She said and hung up laughing. She hid the pack again and after sitting outside for a few minutes longer, she returned to the bedroom, shed her robe, and slid into bed beside Max again, her place of comfort. In his sleep, he wound his arms around her again, lulling her to sleep. She had to say this, he was sharp as a tack when awake, but slept like the dead.

-x-

It was a good thing this room was soundproof, and that there were no cameras or anyway to hear what was going on inside. Good thing too, as Mayhem was venting his frustrations in the form of chucking various items across the room and screaming. Will, despite Brittany and Jillian's protests, was inside with him, trying to make him calm down.

"Now _really," _He scowled, ducking a chair that exploded above his head. "Damnit Mayhem! _Calm down!_" He shouted over the noise his charge was making. Mayhem paid him no mind and continued his destructive course as Will ducked and dodged as was necessary.

"Mayhem!"

"MAYHEM!"

"_LUKE!"_

Will's last shout seemed to snap the other agent from his rampage, as he froze, eyes wide and staring. The red head sighed and eased his way over, making sure his tranquilizer darts were at the ready in case he needed to drug the other man at all.

"That's it, Luke. It's not the end of the world." He said, cautiously winding an arm over his shoulders, but Luke seemed to have worn himself out. Mayhem was gone, and all that remained was the Luke his Lindsey had remembered.

"Why did she never tell me?" Luke asked as they reached the door. Will frowned, pausing a moment.

"She was scared. She was scared and wanted to protect him. It's why she wrote me." He said. "Now shush. You need something hot in you." He sighed and opened the door, Brittany was waiting with Jillian, both concerned, but relieved as Will emerged unharmed.

"Oh, William; I'm glad you're alright!" Brittany said, hurrying forward. Will rolled his eyes.

"Please, the only danger he posed was to himself. He had to let out five years of pent up frustrations, Brittany. I knew that, and knew I'd be fine. Now, he's not feeling all that great now, could you go and get some soup? I'll get him to his room." The blonde nodded and hurried off, Jillian, however, remained.

"Sure he's alright?" He asked, leaning down to look at Luke's face. Will nodded.

"He's fine. Come on Luke, use your feet!" He growled, and after a moment more of urging, Luke wavered for a moment, before walking blindly to his room, still in a daze. Jillian and Will walked behind, the former rubbing the back of his neck.

"Still dunno why you showed him."

"She wanted me too. It's been five years, I couldn't let any more time pass." The red-head sighed.

"He's in no state to even _see_ them; it's like taunting all three of them." Jillian frowned.

"I know, alright?" Will snapped. "But it's been killing her, Jillian. She told me she waited for so long to leave, because she couldn't stand not telling him before she did go, but when he didn't come back from the mission he was on, she couldn't risk waiting any longer and someone noticing what she didn't want noticed."

"I don't get the big deal, Will. Kids are born here all the time!"

"Jill, you know she wasn't really built for this kind of thing." Will said quietly, "She left because she was scared, scared that they would take her baby from her and manipulate him to be like his father. Luke might be a little off his rocker, but things that happened to him when he was younger screwed him up further, Lindsey made him less lethal at the base, but on missions he was a psycho. She didn't want their baby to be like that."

Jillian seemed to think about that for a few moments, then frowned again. "I suppose I understand then." He murmured. Will was silent as he sat Luke on his bed, and they left the man to his thoughts. They waited outside until Brittany came back with the soup, then they themselves moved off towards the cafeteria. While they could have their dinner in private, they preferred the public lunch room. It brought back fond memories of their missing friends still wanted by the terrorist group.

Meanwhile, miles from the base, a young brown haired woman opened a letter addressed to her in a familiar scrawl. She sat beside an open window, watching her five year old son play in the yard outside. Her hands trembled; this was the letter she had waited for so long for.

_Lindsey,_

_I know it's been a long time now. I miss you. At least that's what Will says. I miss you and I'm mad that you left without a word, but I suppose I understand now after reading all your letters. _

_How is he? When is his birthday? He's asking about me, but I don't know if I want him to meet me. Is like me at all? Is he right in the head? My mind is still reeling from knowing, it's hard for me to handle. Everything is telling me to kill you to make sense of things, but Will says that's not the way to handle it, and somehow, somewhere, I know he's right. _

_I need you Lindsey; I need you here with me. I have nightmares all the time, Will says. It hurts; hurts so much. I can't make heads or tails of it. Please write back so I know I'm not just going crazier than I already am. _

_Forever and always your disturbing servant;_

_Luke._

The jumbled phrases and questions were enough to let her know his state of mind. He was worse.

Lindsey wiped her eyes, "Disturbing Servant" indeed. She laughed a little at the title; he had always told her that in their most tender moments as he kissed the palm of her hand, looking into her eyes, and his own glittering with his unharnessed need.

Wiping her eyes so that they were dry, she tucked the letter back into its envelope and set it up high where her son couldn't reach or see it, and called him in for lunch. The little boy bounded in shortly after, wild eyes bright with childhood's happiness and innocence, mop of brown hair askew from his running. She couldn't help but smile at this mirror image of his father. She knelt and teasingly scolded him as she put his hair right and helped him up to wash his hands. She wondered at his undying love for her, his trust in her every word, his mother who kept so much from him.

It was late that night when she sat down to compose a reply, her hand trembling again, as his must have writing his first letter to her. She poured out her story to him again, how long she had waited even after he was late, the agonizing heart-wrenching pain she had felt as she and her brother had torn into the night, how her tears hadn't stopped for days, how she spoke kindly of him all the time.

She told him of his looks, of his tastes, of his love for the legendary; as his father was nearly a legend to him, he had taken a shine to the rarely seen Pokémon. She spoke of how he idolized him, the father he barely knew.

She also spoke of her lonely nights. She missed him terribly, his touch, his kiss. She had never gotten used to sleeping alone, not after she had begun to spend her nights with him. She missed being able to watch him sleep, his tussled hair lying over the pillow, sleep washing away the trials of his life.

She told him that she loved him, assured him he wasn't crazy, and that she needed him too.

She then sealed the letter, lay it beside the Pidgey, and slipped off to bed after kissing her boys head and bidding him a quiet goodnight as he slept before heading to her own lonely bed.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the late update, long weekend.

Hopefully you liked the chapter, I certainly liked writing it. Mostly enjoyed the relationships I didn't get to map out properly before :) Hope you'll stick around for the next!


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty Six

The entire morning had been hectic.

Daisy had been up since six, and Eve had arrived at eight to help prepare to take the food to the hall Samuel had reserved. The girls had had everything in Daisy's car by nine, and unloaded by ten while Samuel and Gary worked in the labs to complete their daily chores. It was just them, as Heather was out of town with her kids to where her boyfriend was working; and all the other volunteers were busy that day as well.

By the time the boys got there, Gary stubbornly insisting on walking, the girls had everything organized and were starting on the tables. Shortly after, mayhem broke loose again as Brock, May; Max, Sophie, and Brocks entire family arrived, almost tripled in size from boyfriends, spouses, and children. Max, May, and Sophie went to set up a corner for pokémon and children alike, Snorlax marking the pokémon corner, and a table full of games and coloring supplies for the children. Brock joined Daisy and Eve in the kitchen with several of his sisters, the rest keeping the kids under control.

"Never had a Thanksgiving dinner before," Eve exclaimed, wiping her forehead with her arm, smiling happily. Her long hair was pulled into a ponytail, whips of shorter hair falling loose as she moved around the kitchen space with the others. Brock smiled.

"Aw, hell, it's loads of fun. We've been getting together for years." He said. "Natalie, can you hand me the, yes, thank you." He said as his youngest sister handed him a bowl of meatballs, and hurried to make the next batch.

"You seem to have missed out on a lot, Eve." Daisy said. "Your parents must not have liked you getting too excited."

"No, they didn't." Eve said with a bitter laugh. "It was a miserable existence for a child, I'll tell you what."

"Well we'll show you the fun side of life." Brock smiled. "Hard not to have at least a_ little_ fun; what with the red-head back on track and full of himself," he chuckled, nodding out the joining counter window, separating the kitchen from the dining area. Gary was currently carting around six two year olds, each one holding onto some different part of him. Eve laughed as she watched this; glad there was so much steam that her face was already red from. It hid her blush. She could hardly keep the color from rising to her cheeks every time she looked at him, as she could only think of the night outside her apartment after his birthday party. His lips had barely brushed hers, enough to snap him out of whatever trance he was in and scare himself off. She had lain awake almost every night replaying that moment in her mind over and over.

What did it mean? Did he actually like her, or was it a moment of weakness, where his mind had not fully been there? She didn't know, but what she did know, was that he hadn't forgotten either. He acted normal, sure, but she could see his furtive glances, sometimes see a flush across the back of his neck, and occasionally, he'd play with her hair when no one else was around.

Those moments were almost serene, like they could last forever. They couldn't obviously. Someone or something always came up; ending anything that may have happened. Thinking about this, she looked back out at him, conversing with Daisy. Even though he was playing, he seemed slightly distracted. She frowned mentally; these moments were growing increasingly, as were Daisy's reports of him violently waking from one nightmare or another, after it seemed those were going to stop.

Her gaze was torn from the object of her thoughts as Daisy called her, just in time to avoid Gary's eyes as he turned to look at her. If only she knew how his thoughts were consumed by her in a much different way than her did him. Partially, he thought of that night, but more and more he was wondering about _her_. He had searched the Missing Person's pages night after night but no one that looked remotely like her had been listed. Her strange likeness to the two women in his dreams turned his head upside down and inside out, and the more he thought on it, the clearer his thoughts became.

Where had she really come from? Was her story darker than it seemed? He wanted to know, but he couldn't find the nerve to ask.

Gary was suddenly nearly tipped forward by the rambunctious children he was entertaining; thoughts thus disrupted, he tried to push them to the back of his mind as he exclaimed over a small boy's babbled story to him as he swung from his arm.

It wasn't too much later when those in the kitchen called out to alert the rest that dinner was ready, Flint fairly sprinting to the line; the big man had a hard appetite to fill. Gary smiled at Eve as he came up to her, plate in hand.

"Having fun?" He asked her, looking over her slightly disheveled appearance; wisps of hair that had come out of her pony tail, the rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes as she nodded.

"Oh yes, very much." She said, ladling some gravy into his potatoes that he didn't recall her putting there. "It's all very exciting, dinners at home were either very formal or served in my room; Quite dull." She smiled.

"Sounds like it." He laughed and then grinned, reaching over to tweak her nose, making her squeal. "I'll save you a spot at the table, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan!" She said, giving him a thumbs-up as he walked away. One of Brocks sisters, Natasha, leaned over, and nudged Eve's arm with a silly grin on her face.

"What?" The albino asked, and then flushed. "Oh no, no, no, no, _no_; it's not like that!" She said, flustered, and filled one of Brocks brothers plates as he passed, talking to his wife who was holding one of their three children. Each had several plates skillfully stacked on their arms and balanced perfectly as the other two bounced around their feet.

"Oh _please_, you two have been gawking at each other all night!" Natasha smirked. "Yes, we've noticed. You can't hide _this_ kind of thing from one of the Pewter Gym sisters." She winked at the now red Eve.

"Please, don't tease; I don't think anyone else knows." She mumbled, wishing to any higher power she could crawl into the potatoes she was dishing out.

"Oh, some may have. Hell, everyone might know but him!" She nodded to Gary. "Looks to be in denial to me; At least _you_ came to terms with it, eh?" She grinned and winked again. Eve flushed even brighter and laughed a little.

"Perhaps" She said with a weak chuckle, "hard to tell, isn't it?"

"Well, not really." Natasha said, dishing out some turkey. "All you have to do is get him alone somewhere and lay one on him. Either he runs away, you two get it on right there, or he has the decency to either get a hotel, go back to your place, or at the very _least_ kiss you back and return your feelings!" Eve gaped at this girl.

"Natasha, you're what, seventeen?!" She asked, appalled. "What goes through your head?" the dark haired beauty scoffed flipping her hair.

"Please, boys aren't the only ones who have healthy albeit perverted minds. Girls do to; they just don't blurt everything out like boys do." This made Eve laugh, helping kill some of the flush in her cheeks.

"Okay, but I'm doing none of those." She laughed. "Let's get our plates and go sit down."

"Roger!" Natasha said, saluting. Eve shook her head and smiled. She had such a fiery spirit. She was a tiny girl, and she could see the housewife under the flames of her independence.

"I think you and Gary would make a great couple." Eve yelped and jumped at the soft voice, nearly dropping her plate. She turned to see Sophie. She had forgotten she had come in to help.

"I'm sorry! I forgot you were there!" She said, clutching her heart with her free hand. Sophie laughed.

"Yes, I'm afraid it's rather easy to do, since I'm so quiet." She smiled. "But I really do think you two would be good together; almost like you were _made_ to be together." She smiled, and moved around the albino. Eve frowned at the last comment, there had been a hidden message there, and she just knew it. Shaking her head and deciding to dwell on it later, she joined Gary at the table where he ruffled her already messy hair. Samuel was elected to begin grace, and Eve felt her heart lighten and her pulse quicken as Gary's warm hand took hers as they joined in. Maybe the girls were right.

Later that evening, after everything was cleaned up and packed away, Gary insisted on walking Eve home. They exited out into the cool night air, Eve waving off Natasha who was making kissy faces and, suggestive body movements out of eyesight of anyone else. She hardly noticed when Gary took her hand in his, but was very glad for the night when she did, as she began blushing madly.

"Did you enjoy dinner?" She asked after a moment. Gary glanced down at her.

"Oh yea, best one yet, I figure." He said, "You?"

"Very much," She smiled up at him. "So much nicer than the ones when I was a kid." She swung their arms a little as the red-head smiled.

"I'm glad." He said. "Sticking around for Christmas?" he asked, and laughed loudly as she nodded eagerly. "What never had a Christmas before?" He asked. She shook her head.

"No, not really; the best one, and really the last, was when I met Zephyr." She said, calming down rapidly, smiling a little as she remembered that night. Gary watched her, tilting his head.

"You've had it rough." He said after a moment, unconsciously turning down the street her apartment was on. She smiled a little.

"Not as rough as you." She said.

"I doubt it." He laughed. She laughed with him, and randomly, began to hum.

She was digging her keys out of her bag, so she didn't see Gary staring at her, eyes wide in a slight state of shock. He was just barely able to regain his composure when she turned to him with a smile that he returned.

"See you tomorrow, Eve." He smiled, knowing she'd show up.

"See you tomorrow." She replied, and was left in her own odd state of shock, as he leaned down and swiftly kissed her cheek before heading home with a smile and a wave. She waved back with a small smile of her own, before heading inside to plop onto her bed with Zephyr and Gaia on her chest, talking animatedly to them both.

Meanwhile, Gary was sprinting home. He could hardly contain himself as he reached the front door, entering slowly and quietly as he could so as not to wake is sister or grandfather. He padded up the stairs to his room, shutting the door before hurriedly going to his desk and whipping out his journal, flipping to an entry from several days before. A haunting melody had been playing through his head since then, and when he found the page he had written the lyrics on, he sank into his chair, mind racing miles a minute, unable to make sense of it.

The tune in his head and the song she had hummed… were the same.

* * *

**Authors Note: **sorry for the late update! Been a busy couple of days :)

I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did, I loved to write the

interaction between the characters, especially Natasha XD

Thank you for continuing to read despite my awkward updating schedule :)


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